Marvin Language Magnet

Mission Statement:

Marvin Foreign Language Magnet strives to be a student-centric learning environment that is focused on the potential and achievement of its pupils in all aspects of the curriculum.  Integrated into this environment is a foreign language program where students are exposed to, and seek proficiency in, a foreign language and culture that will, to their eyes and mind, reveal a wider world brimming with opportunities and experiences.

Belief Statement:

Marvin Foreign Language Magnet, its faculty, staff, parents, and students, are driven by the belief that:

• Every child has an inalienable right to a quality education.

• Every child has the capacity to reach and exceed his or her potential.

• Every child has the ability to master his or her grade level curriculum.

• Every child will be prepared to experience a future filled with diverse languages and cultures.

Vision Statement:

Marvin Foreign Language Magnet offers its students an educational experience that is squarely focused on their future in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.  That world will demand of its leaders and productive members not only the ability to lead and to produce, but be able to do so in distant lands and in foreign tongues.

Our Magnet team of teachers are passionate and dedicated teachers.  They strive to create a positive and engaging environment for all students from various age and backgrounds.  Though learning a new language can be daunting, Marvin Language Magnet has found dynamic ways to bring the joys of multilingual communication to elementary school students. The magnet teachers are at the forefront of these successful efforts to bridge cultural distances and to create a new world of connectedness.

Top 10 Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

https://etoninstitute.com/blog/top-10-benefits-of-learning-a-foreign-language

 

In a globalized world, where mobility is facilitated, learning a language is a wonderful benefit. Not only does it help when traveling, it is also a great advantage for studying in general and for career prospects abroad. Acquiring a second language enables us to develop various mental abilities at ALL AGES.

1. Boosts Brain Power

A foreign language is a whole new intricate system of rules, structures, and lexis. Learning a new language means your brain has to cope with complexity as it makes sense of and absorbs new patterns. As our brains work out the meaning, endeavoring to communicate, we develop key learning skills such as cognitive thinking and problem-solving. Highly developed critical thinking skills are a significant benefit both personally and professionally.

2. Improves Memory

Use it or lose it. How many times have you heard that phrase? It is a simple fact – the more the brain is used, the better its functions work. A new language requires not only familiarity with vocabulary and rules, but also being able to recall and apply this knowledge. Learning a language gives your memory a good work out in the brain gym. This means that multilingual people have brains that are more exercised and quick to recall names, directions, facts, and figures.

3. Enhances The Ability To Multi-Task

Multi-tasking is very stressful for those who are not used to it or don’t do it well. According to a study from the Pennsylvania State University, people who are multilingual and proficient at slipping from one language system to another are practiced at this very demanding work for the brain. People who have developed the ability to think in different languages and move from one to the other become much better multi-taskers, reducing stress levels.

4. Sharpens The Mind

A study from Spain’s University of Pompeu Fabra revealed that multilingual people are better at observing their surroundings. They easily spot anything that is irrelevant or deceptive. They’re also better at spotting misleading information. The study was conducted comparing multilingual and monolingual subjects and the former notably had the edge. Is it any surprise that famous, fictional detective characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot are skilled linguists?

5. Keeps The Mind Sharper For Longer

Several studies have been conducted on this topic, and the results are consistent. Language learning keeps your brain healthy. For monolingual adults, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4. For adults who speak two or more languages, the mean age for those first signs is 75.5. Studies considered factors such as education level, income level, gender, and physical health, but the results were consistent.

6. Enhances Decision-Making

According to a study from the University of Chicago, decision-making ability becomes an easier process for multilingual people. Aside from the rules and vocabulary that go with learning a foreign language, there are nuances and regional expressions that a student of language frequently judges for appropriateness and hidden meanings. Multilinguals are more confident in their decision-making choices as a result of practice, practice, practice!

7. The First Language Is Improved

Learning a new language makes you more conscious of the nuts and bolts of your own language. Terms such as vocabulary, grammar, conjugation, comprehension, idioms and sentence structure become everyday phrases, whereas your own language is probably absorbed more intuitively. Learning a new language also makes you a better listener as you are used to having to interpret meaning and judge nuances.

8. Improves Performance In Other Academic Areas

As a result of higher cognitive skills, studies show that the benefits of learning a new language include higher scores on standardized exams in math, reading comprehension and vocabulary by multilingual students compared to the scores of monolingual students. Children may ask why they have to learn this language, but parents and teachers know better! Language skills boost your ability to do well in problem-solving tasks across the board, a fact recognized through compulsory foreign language learning curriculum in schools.

9. Increases Networking Skills

Opening up to a culture allows you to be more flexible and appreciative of other people’s opinions and actions. As a result, if you are multilingual, you have the advantage of seeing the world from different viewpoints, enhancing your ability to communicate in today’s globally connected world.

10. Provides Better Career Choices

According to Eton Institute’s Language Development in the Workforce survey (September 2014), 89% of our clients stated that multilingual employees add value to the workforce and 88% stated that recruiting team members with language skills is important to their organization. A multilingual ability is definitely a competitive edge in today’s world.

Language learning helps develop strong cognitive skills, such as a better concept formation, mental flexibility, multitasking, listening skills and problem-solving, in addition to improving social interaction and encouraging connection between peers. What’s your next language?