Basic Education
The benefits of bilingualism
Enhanced cognitive function
The main verifiable finding for the effect of bilingualism on cognition, is in the evidence for enhanced executive control, such as in impulse inhibition and working memory, in bilingual speakers. These have been found through all stages across the lifespan of a person from infancy through to old age. According to these studies, the constant use of two or more languages leads to positive changes in the configuration of the executive control network and results in more efficient performance on tasks requiring the brain’ s prefrontal cortex, the area.
More job options
Employers are increasingly looking to hire individuals who can serve a broader clientele and collaborate with colleagues across linguistically diverse groups. Bilingual employees are better prepared for the global community and job markets where a second language is an asset. Research in Language Studies at the University of Bristol also cites data that links economic growth to linguistic diversity.
Promotes cultural and social cohesion
Language is a vehicle to understanding a different culture. Research on the social effects of bilingualism has consistently shown that speaking more than one language increases a person’ s ability to respect more linguistic and racial diversity. Proficiency in two or more languages offers opportunities to interact with more diverse social and cultural groups than a monolingual counterpart.
Positive mental and brain health outcomes
Several studies have demonstrated that being bilingual can delay the effects of old age, such as the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’ s disease. While being bilingual didn’ t prevent some respondents from developing dementia, on average, it delayed the effects of the disease by about five years. This is because bilingualism rewires the brain( through neuroplasticity), improving the executive system and boosting cognitive reserve( Harvard Health defines this term as“ your brain ' s ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a job done”). This means that as parts of the brain succumb to damage due to advancing age and other factors, bilinguals, as well as those who constantly learn new skills and information, are able to access memory and information due to this extra“ grey matter” and alternative neural pathways.
Teaching a second language
Research supports the teaching of a second language in the early years of childhood( from birth to three years) because the younger you are, the more receptive you are to new information. Children are like sponges, as the saying goes, so learning the vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence construction of the language happens incidentally and informally through exposure to it. However, while it gets harder to learn a new language as one gets older, it is never too late. Essentially, children and adults learn a second language the same way they learn their first – through constant communication in the target language. A few tips to keep inmind when teaching a second language to children or adults:
Exposure
It is important to expose students to as much of the second language as possible, whether in the classroom or at home. The native language can be used to explain meanings and present examples, but ensure that the focus is on the target language during interactions. Students should be engaged with the target language as much as possible outside the classroom as well. Assign exercises that require interacting with people who speak the target language fluently.
Make it fun
Get students involved through games and role-playing. Games are effective for teaching grammar and vocabulary, while roleplaying and dialogue are important for the recreation of realworld scenarios.
The culture of the language
It is essential to make students aware of the culture from which the target language originates, so they can understand and appreciate the true depth and nuances of the individual words.
Use of multimedia
Students often don’ t have enough opportunities to practise and become accustomed to the target language outside of the classroom, so it is important to use tools such as television programmes, movies and radio broadcasts, even online language apps, so they can become attuned to the sounds, pronunciations and intonations of the language. For example, RM, leader and rapper of the popular South Korean boy band, BTS, learned to speak English fluently by watching the US sitcom Friends on repeat.
About Bellavista S. H. A. R. E.
Bellavista S. H. A. R. E. is the Education Resource Centre of Bellavista School, an independent school in Johannesburg widely regarded as a centre of excellence in the field of remedial education. With the Bellavista S. H. A. R. E initiative, the school harnesses the collective capacity of its own staff to improve the quality of educational delivery in Southern Africa by sharing its wealth of professional knowledge, experience, and expertise with the community of educators and health professionals working with children in the region.
www. futuresa. co. za 37