5 Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language Beyond Communication

Students are often required — or strongly encouraged — to take a foreign language in high school and even in college. While the obvious benefit is the ability to have basic speaking, writing, and comprehension skills in another language, students gain a lot more than just improved communication. They hone a variety of other skills at the same time, many of which they may not even realize.

1. Improved English Abilities: In learning a foreign language, students also develop a better grasp of English. Studying the vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure of French, for instance, enables students to apply those same skills to English. They have a stronger understanding of the parts of speech as well as pronouns and verb tenses. In addition, there are many words in the English language with foreign origins.
2. Enhanced Listening Skills: When students don’t naturally comprehend what their teacher is saying because the teacher is speaking in German, they are required to listen more intently. They must pay attention to the specific words being used and how they are being used to figure out what is being said. It is harder to get by only catching part of the conversation because they may not know enough yet to correctly fill in the missing information.
3. Increased Problem Solving: Along the same lines of listening, students must analyze what they hear or read in a foreign language to translate it into English. They refine their problem-solving skills to come up with ways to make sense of what they are learning and respond appropriately.
4. Strengthened Study Skills: Studying another language can be tough. The strategies students use in other subjects may not be as effective. Therefore, they have to develop new ways of studying, practicing, and applying what they are learning. They may find that these tools are helpful in other courses too and allow them to boost their performance.
5. Expanded Appreciation for Other Cultures: Students don’t just study vocabulary and grammar when learning a foreign language. They also learn about the countries, cultures, and people who speak those languages. Their history and traditions as well. This can give students a more well-rounded perspective and respect for people who are different than them. There are a lot of influences from other countries on the food, music, art, television, movies, architecture, and more that we enjoy in the United States.

Boost Student Performance Through Tutoring

Tutoring can help students stay on top of their foreign language skills and continue practicing and reinforcing what they are learning. It can also empower them to build more effective study techniques, writing skills, executive functioning, organizational strategies, and much more that they can use across multiple classes. Taking foreign language classes can be a beneficial experience for students and open up new opportunities.

Contact Crafting Scholars today to learn more about our foreign language tutoring as well as other courses aligned with your child’s individual needs and goals.

Originally published at https://craftingscholars.com on July 5, 2023.