Learning a language has awesome benefits for students, and they don't even realise it!

Language was Sport Kid and Computer Kid’s favourite subject this week. 

Even though they are learning different languages, Chinese and Latin, they both enjoy their language subject and have told us that from their experience in class this week, and their experiences learning languages last year, that language is a practical, hands-on learning experience that has scope for all different kinds of fun. It’s clear that both students’ teachers are using successful teaching tools to engage their students and this may be something we can explore further.

This week however, we have decided to explore the benefits to students from learning a language.  

The benefits of learning another language 

Learning a language can have more benefits than just providing students with fun and the opportunity to dabble in a new language. Learning another language can provide life time benefits for student’s including improving their career prospects, providing them with opportunities to travel and develop cross cultural friendships and generally broadening their horizons. One of the more holistic outcomes of learning a language is the cognitive and physiological benefits for students that can boost their learning abilities and increase their cognitive abilities across several different areas.

Speaking a foreign language can improve the functionality of your brain as it negotiates meaning, and communicate in different language systems. Studies have shown that people who are bilingual are better at multitasking and have increased focus. Increased focus increases the ability to problem-solve along with increasing memory and perception.

It has also been found that students who learn a foreign language perform better in testing on their native language than those students who are monolingual.

It seems that there are many benefits for those students who are studying another language at school, providing them the opportunity to improve some of their cognitive and multi-tasking skills incognito as they happily engage in learning new words and sentence structures.

If we asked Science and Computer kid to come to a lesson where they learnt to multi-task and problem solve, improve their memory and work towards improving their English skills they might not be as keen as they are to attend their language lesson!

Using language to broaden a student’s horizon certainly has it benefits for their future, but the greatest part of teaching students a language it would seem, is that wrapped up in the language learning experience is the development of cognitive processes that provide a framework for many other important learning experiences.

Check in with “My Student Life” next week to see which subject ranks the highest for Sport Kid and Computer Kid in Week 2 of their first Term.

The Extra Credit Academy 

Bibliography

Panda Tree (n.d.) 15 reasons for kids to learn a foreign language. Retrieved from

https://www.pandatree.com/reason_foreign_language

Merritt, A. (2013) Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10126883/Why-learn-a-foreign-language-Benefits-of-bilingualism.html

ACTFL (n.d.) What does research show about the benefits of language learning? American Council on the teaching of foreign languages Retrieved from

https://www.actfl.org/advocacy/what-the-research-shows

The good schools guide (n.d.) Why your child should study a language at school. Retrieved from https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/education-updates/why-your-child-should-study-a-language-at-school