How Learning a Foreign Language Helps Students Develop Their Cultural Awareness
There are many benefits to speaking more than one language. It opens up a student’s realization of the broader world around them and breeds cohesiveness as pupils seek to understand other cultures and nationalities.
Below are several ways learning a foreign language can help students develop cultural awareness.
Language and Culture Are Interwoven
Learning a foreign language builds cultural understanding and gives students great insight into other people’s worldviews. Even in a community of local private schools, this knowledge helps children use the appropriate tone, pitch, volume, and body language befitting a specific culture. All of which helps them see that similarities in all these non-verbal expressions can have meanings that are worlds apart.
It Unlocks Creativity
Children learn to be lifelong curious and imaginative learners while exploring locally and globally significant ideas. Being able to do this in multiple languages opens them up to critical and creative thinking. They also learn to be better communicators and listeners, which promotes empathy. It allows for more open-mindedness and the development of awareness and a deep appreciation for their culture and that of others. This awareness, in turn, breeds broader thinking, eclectic artistic expressions, and unique viewpoints, which can bring unconventional solutions to global problems.
It Engages the Brain in Unique Ways
A foreign language uniquely engages and develops the brain and produces improved results in other areas. According to the National Centre for Education Statistics, tens of thousands of high school students have found that those who performed better on the American College Test (ACT) core subjects like English and Mathematics have studied foreign languages. This statistic shows just how important adding this class to your child’s curriculum is.
It Develops Long-Term Life Skills
Your child can also gain the ability to incorporate some positive cultural influences and solid values that often help a person navigate and engage in everyday life with enriching approaches. It fosters long-term life skills, such as a sense of common humanity, shared stewardship of the planet, opportunities to develop many healthy relationships, ethical reasoning, and learning how to thrive in a complex world.
Opens Up a World of Possibilities
Being bilingual makes traveling fun and speaking a local language in a foreign country fosters friendliness and openness to natives of the land. It’s such a big deal to speak to anyone in their native language and show respect for their cultural practices and values. Doing so can open up opportunities for students not just to study in local private schools but join an exchange program or internship in many countries and find it easy to adapt. It also provides more career opportunities and high pay prospects as one is not limited to only taking work in their country. The ability to speak other languages also means a diverse people network, which can make them professional and dynamic.
If you’re in Metairie, LA, consider the renowned International Baccalaureate (IB) program. This program helps cross boundaries that separate languages, countries, and cultures. Get in touch with us today to learn more!
