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If you’ve ever questioned your sanity as a result of your stubborn resolve to truck reluctant children miles and miles to German school each Saturday morning, year after year, then perhaps you will find the following information reassuring. Firstly, let me just tell you that you are doing a wonderful thing for your children. It is as simple as that. There may be times when you may not be quite sure of this in the face of never-ending relentless opposition from your offspring, but the fact remains that they do not yet realize the value of these weekly sojourns, and – here comes the old saw – they will thank you for this some day, at which point it will all have been worthwhile. Consider the following: • Students fluent in two languages performed better on measures of both – verbal and non-verbal intelligence than did unilingual children. • Neurophysiological research supports the view that younger students tend to outperform their older counterparts in information acquisition tasks: they proved to be quicker, more accurate and retained information for longer periods of time. • Bilingual children prove to be more effective problem solvers than unilingual peers. • Second language learning enhances listening and memory skills, suggesting a link to improved attention span. (you’re probably wondering about the listening part!) The neurocognitive benefits of learning second and third languages strongly imply an enhancement of the actual functioning intelligence of the student. • Fluent bilingualism contributes substantially to the cognitive growth of children. The positive impact on intellectual development is clear, even for students with mild learning disabilities. • Children who learn foreign languages tend to be more creative and demonstrate more divergent and higher-order thinking skills. This positive impact is clear, even for students with mild learning disabilities. • Student achievement in a wide range of academic subjects is enhanced for those students who have studied a second language. • There is clear evidence that proficient bilingual students outperform monolinguals on school tests, and on standardized tests in reading, language arts and mathematics. • In a still ongoing study conducted by the Edmonton Public School Board which operates six bilingual programs, there is a distinct mark differential in all standardized tests in favour of the bilingual program students. This even follows for programs that have a significant special needs population. The spread between the bilingual students and those in regular programs becomes more pronounced with time. • Students who begin learning a second language in kindergarten or grade one perform better than those who begin at grade seven. • In the present reality of multicultural societies and our growing global market place, second and third language learning takes on even greater significance. There is growing need for qualified speakers of languages other than English in the areas of science and technologies, the service industries, and in medicine. I hope that this information provides you with the ammunition you need to convince your children to give up their Saturday morning cartoons, dance classes and sports activities. If they are not convinced just keep on bringing them anyway. Weisheit eines Lehrers: In allem was ich lehre, finde ich etwas, was ich lerne. Sources supplied by OISE-UT and SAHLA conference |
