Most people accept that when we speak more than one language, our perception of the world expands and becomes richer. Languages are linked to culture and often have unique meaning, which provide us with a better understanding of our world. We also assume that being bilingual is an advantage in the professional world, opening up opportunities to work for multi-national companies or doing business abroad. But when we speak a second language, there is still another advantage that you might not even know about!

Often called “the bilingual edge”, many language researchers and scientists who have studied the cognitive effects of learning more than one language tend to agree that our brains are affected by it. To what degree, however, and in what way, is still a topic of debate.

In years past, for example, it was commonly believed that bilingual children were at a disadvantage when it came to verbal development and even their IQ score. Today, the opposite belief is more common, and many parents are making sure their children learn a second language from the earliest age. You may know parents who hire foreign nannies or send their children to a language immersion school. These parents are seeking to give their child “the bilingual edge”, which is not just about improving intellectual ability, but also cognitive development.

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If you are like one of 1.5 billion students learning English today, you are always looking for more ways to improve. In this blog we have already spoken about some of the most effective ways to improve your English learning, including fun methods and proven techniques. One of those techniques is simply LISTENING. Sounds easy, right?

Listening is one of those skills that many people don’t do very well in their everyday life. With everyone’s attention being constantly fought over between phone screens, computer screens, television screens and of course work, school, kids, friends and all the other things we have to do every day, we have lost the art of truly listening. The age of the soundbite and  2-minute video has taught us to take information in quick, small doses that are already analysed for us. In one TED talk about the topic, sound expert Julian Treasure even claims “we are losing our listening.”

But it remains true that listening is one of the most effective, and probably underused, techniques for improving your English learning. Why?

Because listening is the way our brain naturally takes in language. The repetition of words and sounds, social situations and vocabulary for different subjects, as well as linking an experience and/or an emotion to the conversation, causes our brain to remember language naturally— just like we do when we learn as children.

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Immersion language learning, or ILL, is widely accepted as the most effective classroom learning program available. If you are a teacher (or even a student trying to learn English as a second language), it’s not likely that your school offers a full immersion program for learning English. But you can create an immersion environment in your own classroom!

As we have already discussed in this blog, the key to language acquisition is experiencing it and making emotional links with the language in real-world context. This can be difficult when you live in another country and are not exposed to the language you are learning except when you enter the classroom. And then, many traditional English courses rely on grammar exercises, vocabulary memorization and exams. But today, more and more schools around the world are beginning to change their programs to use immersion in the classroom.

An immersion program means that students are learning a variety of subjects in English (or the language they are trying to learn) at least 50% of the time. While there is an initial drop in student performance when they participate in an immersion program, statistics show that they do catch up, and usually continue to excel further than their peers in the long run.

While you might not be able to influence other teachers or your school’s director into incorporating a full immersion program, you can try to implement this method into your own classroom!

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December is a time of many celebrations all around the world.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Eid-al-Adha, Diwali… some of us have never even heard of these holidays! But in cultures all around the world, and since the beginning of recorded history, humans have celebrated during this time of year, often using candlelight to symbolize the winter solstice. Even as far back as ancient Rome, the festival Saturnalia,celebrated on December 23rd ,  involved gift giving, elaborate meals and lighting candles.

Isn’t it interesting that similar traditions exist all over the world during the same time of year? 

They have different names and may have slightly different dates, but the way families and communities come together during the final weeks of the calendar year to celebrate together is something rather remarkable when you think about it. These traditions with their different languages, locations, cultures and religions create a link between us all during the holiday season.

Of course in the Western world, Christmas is the most well-known winter holiday. And even though the Christmas holiday is rooted in the Christian religion, more and more non-religious people, and even people from other cultures and faiths, now celebrate Christmas.

Why is this, do you think?

The popular Western version of Christmas is now very well known thanks to television, film, and music that has been created since the beginning  of the 20th Century. The Christmas celebration has taken on an identity of its own with such characters as Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman,  Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, The Grinch and many more who represent the holiday.

Have you ever seen or heard of these characters?

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In English, there’s no escaping this little verb. There are only 3 letters in “get” but it’s a very important word in English. Do you know its different meanings? What exactly do “Do you get what I mean?”, “I’ll get John to do it”, or “We got to the meeting late” mean?

Sure, in all of these sentences the key verb is “get”, but each time it has a different meaning. “But I can just replace it with an easier word like “understand”, “ask”, or “arrived”” I hear you saying already. Yes, you can, but if you listen to or read English, you can’t avoid it. For better or for worse, “get” is ranked as the 39th most frequent word in English. So it’s time to get your head around “get”.

The examples above demonstrated 3 different meanings of the verb, but there are about a dozen in all. Oh. yay.

Don’t worry. We’re going to clarify things so that you can understand the different meanings. You’re going to start getting “get”!

After reading these explanations and examples, you can test yourself with the quiz on the different meanings of the word.... click to read more.