Roberto Clemente Students Explore the the Benefits of Bilingualism
ESL III students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy researched the many advantages to being bilingual. Some of the more well-known benefits include being able to communicate with more people, understanding cultural references, appreciating different cultures, and becoming more competitive in the job market. Other not as widely known advantages that scientists have found are cognitive impacts that learning another language has on the brain. For example, knowing more than one language makes people become better multi-taskers, helps stave off Alzheimer’s Disease, and helps improve memory.
ESL III students researched the many different impacts bilingualism has on everyday life and the many effects learning another language has on the brain. Students created PowerPoints in English listing why becoming fluent in both Spanish and English is important. Students used and cited evidence they found in newspaper and scholarly articles to support their reasoning, and they created their own reasons for why they would like to become bilingual.
Cassandra Luna, a junior ESL III student at Roberto Clemente explained, “Being bilingual will help me in college.”
Leslie Salgado, a senior ESL III student said, “Being bilingual helps you to communicate with other people and learn about people’s cultures.”
The ESL III students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy will continue to hone their English language skills in order to reap all the benefits that knowing more than one language has to offer.