Learning a new language provides a multitude of benefits for students of all ages. Some of the benefits include increased levels of concentration, positive changes in brain structure, higher degrees of creativity and cultural enrichment.  While there are many great reasons to learn a language, perhaps some of these benefits will provide a good reason to enroll in English as a second language courses at The English Island located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA!

1. Increased Levels of Concentration

Researchers and popular opinion have often associated learning new skills, and language in particular, with an improvement in one’s attention span. Recent studies have backed up this claim by studying a group of participants who took a Gaelic course for one week. The results showed that by spending at least five hours a week on language, a learner can increase their attention span in a significant way! Students at the English island in Atlanta can spend up to eighteen hours a week studying English, grammar and vocabulary. That’s plenty of time to help increase one’s attention span.

2. Positive Changes in Brain Structure

Our brains are fascinating and mysterious. The brain is largely comprised of neurons, commonly referred to in English as a “brain cell”. In English, speakers occasionally say the idiom “I’m down to my last brain cell” to humorously indicate that they are having a difficult time concentrating, thinking or problem solving. Some of the classes at The English Island emphasize learning English idioms and common phrases of speech.

Experiments done to study the effects of bilingualism on the brain have largely supported the understanding that bilingual speakers have a higher concentration of grey matter, which is made up from one end of brain cells. There is some positive support for the hypothesis that white matter, the inner part of the brain, has a higher degree of integrity in bilingual speakers. Bilingual research still needs to be done; the initial results have shown a strong indication that bilingual speakers have a higher brain cell count than monolinguists.

3. Cultural Enrichment

Cultural enrichment comes in the form of being able to directly communicate with people from another country. The student community at The English Island is diverse and international, providing an excellent place to engage in multicultural conversations. While multicultural appreciation is entirely possible without knowing a foreign language, the understanding that comes from being able to read foreign texts in a native language and carry on conversations with international speakers can not be underestimated.

4. Increased Creativity

One of the most exciting outcomes of the research that has been done on bilingual speakers is that learning another language can increase your creativity. The British Academy cross-analyzed six different studies done on the creativity of foreign language learners who acquired their language abilities in a classroom, as opposed to at home, from 1991 to 2015. The results showed that those who studied a foreign language in a classroom setting had higher degrees of creative flexibility than people who only spoke one language and had never studied a foreign language.

The journey of learning a new language is transformative and rewarding. The benefits are self-evident to students and learners; however, research supports the claim that learning a new language improves mental functions both psychologically and physically.  With experienced Teachers for English as a second language, covering subjects such as English grammar, conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary and English phrases, the English Island can provide you with the education you need to succeed in learning the English language. Students from all over the world come to study at The English Island, an international school for learning English at all levels of difficulty. So, if you are a student looking for English as a second language classes, come sign up for English classes at The English Island located in