Learning a New Language Alters Brain Development
Aug. 29, 2013 — The age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain, according to a new joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -- The Neuro at McGill University and Oxford University. The majority of people in the world learn to speak more than one language during their lifetime. Many do so with great proficiency particularly if the languages are learned simultaneously or from early in development.
The study concludes that the pattern of brain development is similar if you learn one or two language from birth. However, learning a second language later on in childhood after gaining proficiency in the first (native) language does in fact modify the brain's structure, specifically the brain's inferior frontal cortex. The left inferior frontal cortex became thicker and the right inferior frontal cortex became thinner. The cortex is a multi-layered mass of neurons that plays a major role in cognitive functions such as thought, language, consciousness and memory.
The study suggests that the task of acquiring a second language after infancy stimulates new neural growth and connections among neurons in ways seen in acquiring complex motor skills such as juggling. The study's authors speculate that the difficulty that some people have in learning a second language later in life could be explained at the structural level.
"The later in childhood that the second language is acquired, the greater are the changes in the inferior frontal cortex," said Dr. Denise Klein, researcher in The Neuro's Cognitive Neuroscience Unit and a lead author on the paper published in the journal Brain and Language. "Our results provide structural evidence that age of acquisition is crucial in laying down the structure for language learning."
Using a software program developed at The Neuro, the study examined MRI scans of 66 bilingual and 22 monolingual men and women living in Montreal. The work was supported by a grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and from an Oxford McGill Neuroscience Collaboration Pilot project.
Journal Reference:
Aug. 29, 2013 — The age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain, according to a new joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -- The Neuro at McGill University and Oxford University. The majority of people in the world learn to speak more than one language during their lifetime. Many do so with great proficiency particularly if the languages are learned simultaneously or from early in development.
The study concludes that the pattern of brain development is similar if you learn one or two language from birth. However, learning a second language later on in childhood after gaining proficiency in the first (native) language does in fact modify the brain's structure, specifically the brain's inferior frontal cortex. The left inferior frontal cortex became thicker and the right inferior frontal cortex became thinner. The cortex is a multi-layered mass of neurons that plays a major role in cognitive functions such as thought, language, consciousness and memory.
The study suggests that the task of acquiring a second language after infancy stimulates new neural growth and connections among neurons in ways seen in acquiring complex motor skills such as juggling. The study's authors speculate that the difficulty that some people have in learning a second language later in life could be explained at the structural level.
"The later in childhood that the second language is acquired, the greater are the changes in the inferior frontal cortex," said Dr. Denise Klein, researcher in The Neuro's Cognitive Neuroscience Unit and a lead author on the paper published in the journal Brain and Language. "Our results provide structural evidence that age of acquisition is crucial in laying down the structure for language learning."
Using a software program developed at The Neuro, the study examined MRI scans of 66 bilingual and 22 monolingual men and women living in Montreal. The work was supported by a grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and from an Oxford McGill Neuroscience Collaboration Pilot project.
Journal Reference:
- Denise Klein, Kelvin Mok, Jen-Kai Chen, Kate E. Watkins.Age of language learning shapes brain structure: A cortical thickness study of bilingual and monolingual individuals. Brain and Language, 2013; DOI:10.1016/j.bandl.2013.05.014
MILESTONES IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Table 1 Milestones of Language Content
Typical Age Content Milestones
8–12 mos. Understand 3–50 words.
First words are used for names of familiar people and objects; communicative games and routines; to talk about appearance,
disappearance, recurrence.
12–18 mos. Average expressive vocabulary size: 50–100 words at 18 mos.
Semantic roles are expressed in one-word speech, including agent, action, object, location, possession, rejection, disappearance, nonexistence, denial.
Words are understood outside of routine games; still need contextual support for lexical comprehension.
18–24 mos. Average expressive vocabulary size: 200–300 words at 24 mos.
Prevalent relations expressed: agent–action, agent–object, action–object, action–location, entity–location, possessor–possession, demonstrative–entity, attribute–entity.
24–30 mos. Understanding and use of questions about objects (What?), people (Who?), and basic events (What is x doing? Where is x going?).
30–36 mos. Use and understand Why? questions.
Use and understand basic spatial terms (in, on, under, etc.).
36–42 mos. Use and understand semantic relationship between adjacent and conjoined sentences, including additive, temporal, causal, contrastive.
Understand basic color words. Use and understand basic kinship terms.
42–48 mos. Use and understand ‘‘when’’ and ‘‘how’’ questions.
Understand words for basic shapes (circle, square, triangle).
Use and understand basic size vocabulary (big, small).
Use conjunctions and and because to conjoin sentences.
48–60 mos. Knowledge of letter names and sounds emerges.
Knowledge of numbers and counting emerges.
Use conjunctions when, so, because, and if.
5–7 years Reorganization of lexical knowledge from episodic to semantic networks occurs.
Average expressive vocabulary size: 5,000 words.
7–9 years School introduces new words not encountered in conversation.
Pronouns used anaphorically to refer to nouns previously named.
Word definitions include synonyms and categories. Some words understood to have multiple meanings.
Capacity for production of figurative language increases.
9–12 years Vocabulary in school texts is more abstract and specific than that in conversation.
Students are expected to acquire new information from written texts.
Can explain relationships between meanings of multiple-meaning words.
Begin using adverbial conjunctions. Understand most common idioms.
12–14 years Abstract dictionary definitions given for words.
Can explain meaning of proverbs in context.
15–18 years Average vocabulary size of high school graduate: 10,000 words.
Note. From Language Disorders From Infants Through Adolescence: Assessment and Intervention, by R. Paul, 2001, Philadelphia:
Happy Teaching!
English Learners’ Bill of Rights
More than ten percent of students in U.S. public schools speak English as their second language—and that number is rising every day. This translates to an estimated 5.1 million students speaking more than 400 languages. It is imperative that, as a society, we develop an understanding of the challenges these students face in their efforts to simultaneously master English and core grade-level content. To help focus public attention on the needs of this linguistically diverse population, the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) and Pearson Education have partnered to establish eight guiding principles, the English Learners’ Bill of Rights.
- English Learners’ Bill of Rights
- I. English learners benefit from a learning environment in which they feel respected, safe, and secure.
- II. English learners should be treated equitably in terms of time spent meeting their individual needs.
- III. English learners benefit from focused instruction from teachers who have the specialized training and understanding necessary to effectively teach students whose first language is not English.
- IV. English learners benefit from curriculum and instructional materials that are academically challenging, possess age-appropriate content, and include subject matter that is at grade level; this includes culturally responsive methodologies and materials.
- V. English learners benefit from access to instructional materials that make the necessary accommodations for varying levels of English proficiency.
- VI. English learners benefit from being taught in a way that allows them to maintain their native language while learning English.
- VII. English learners benefit from attending schools with the resources and expertise necessary to meet their needs.
- VIII. English learners benefit from the involvement of their parents in their education—this essential ingredient for closing the achievement gap should be fostered.
This is a great tool of information about the language instruction ed programs. MUST READ FOR ESL TEACHERS.
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New Publication: US Department of Education Releases Literature Review by edCount, LLC on Programs for ELs
May 18, 2012On May 15, 2012, the US Department of Education officially released a literature review conducted by edCount, LLC titled Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs): A Review of the Foundational Literature. The review, part of a larger project titled Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs): Lessons from the Research and Profiles of Promising Programs, examines the research literature on a range of topics that may factor into LIEP design and function, in order to support school districts in their decisions about how to choose appropriate LIEPs for their students' needs.
The LIEP literature review, which draws on findings and recommendations from over 170 reports, articles, and books, provides information pertaining to six primary research areas:
edCount president Dr. Ellen Forte serves as the principal investigator for the LIEP project, which edCount is conducting in partnership with small, woman-owned business Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (SEI). edCount senior associate Dr. Sara Waringserves as edCount's project director for LIEP, and policy associate Molly Faulkner-Bond served as the lead author on the literature review. This literature review will be followed by the release of a guide for practitioners about the selection, design, implementation and evaluation of LIEPs, to be released in January 2013.
May 18, 2012On May 15, 2012, the US Department of Education officially released a literature review conducted by edCount, LLC titled Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs): A Review of the Foundational Literature. The review, part of a larger project titled Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs): Lessons from the Research and Profiles of Promising Programs, examines the research literature on a range of topics that may factor into LIEP design and function, in order to support school districts in their decisions about how to choose appropriate LIEPs for their students' needs.
The LIEP literature review, which draws on findings and recommendations from over 170 reports, articles, and books, provides information pertaining to six primary research areas:
- Theories of second-language acquisition. How is second language acquisition (SLA) theorized to occur, and how can or should this process inform or influence instruction or program design?
- The construct of academic English language. What is academic language, and why does it matter? How can instructors support and encourage ELs to acquire and use academic language?
- Models and considerations for LIEP design. What are the characteristics of different models, and how can or should these be actualized in implementation? What characteristics of a model may be variable, and which are critical to its success?
- Instructional practices and professional development. What specific practices and protocols can teachers adopt during their class instruction to support ELs' acquisition of English or mastery of academic content? What are the content and components of promising professional development (PD) for teachers in LIEPs? How should PD be implemented and evaluated?
- School district, school and community culture. What contextual and environmental factors in a school district, school or community may impact a LIEP's ability to meet the requirements of Title III? What cultural and demographic factors in a school district, school or community are important to consider in implementing a LIEP?
- Indicators and evaluation of success. What indicators might reflect whether a LIEP has been successfully implemented? What indicators would reflect effectiveness of the LIEP in terms of its own stated goals?
edCount president Dr. Ellen Forte serves as the principal investigator for the LIEP project, which edCount is conducting in partnership with small, woman-owned business Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (SEI). edCount senior associate Dr. Sara Waringserves as edCount's project director for LIEP, and policy associate Molly Faulkner-Bond served as the lead author on the literature review. This literature review will be followed by the release of a guide for practitioners about the selection, design, implementation and evaluation of LIEPs, to be released in January 2013.
Co-Teaching and Inclusive Schooling
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