(Credit: Shutterstock/Sergey Novikov)
ACADEMICS
THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE IN GLOBAL EDUCATION Learning a second language benefits the speaker so much more than simply having a wider scope of communication. Micheline Chaia, Director of GEMS World Acacdemy's Language Institute, addresses these benefits in more depth.
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earning multiple languages is an important part of developing critical thinking skills which can be utilised in wider applications. Learning a second language strengthens the brain’s executive functions even outside of language-related contexts. Executive functions include
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cognitive tasks such as focusing attention, switching between tasks, and inhibiting impulses. Accordingly, bilingual and multilingual people show improved listening and attention abilities. This means that people who know more than one language may be better able to process and remember new information. Additionally, according
to an article in The Telegraph, “Students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardised tests than their monolingual peers, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary.” Researchers have also found that speaking more than one language can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
ISSUE 3 | MARCH 2019
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