Cognitive Skills and Second or Other Language

Cognitive Skills and Second or Other Language Acquisition

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Cognitive Skills and Second or Other

Language AcquisitionFebruary 2018

Agenda

• Language in the brain

• First vs second language acquisition

• Cognitive skills and language

• Benefits of second language acquisition for cognitive skills

• Benefits of cognitive skills training for language acquisition and academic performance

Who are we?

Just to get a quick idea of who we are:

• English is my first language

• English is not my first language

• I grew up bilingual (English as one language)

• I grew up bilingual (other than English)

Fernald, 1984

Some Common Prosodic Patterns

Parents in five cultures were recorded as they spoke to 12-month-old babies with the following goals:

Approval

Prohibition

Comfort

Attention

At this age, the melody is

the message. Babies

respond to approvals and

prohibitions in other

languages.

French, German, Italian, Japanese, English (British and American)_

Then Words Start to Have Meaning

• By 24 months, babies respond to by getting upset when confronted with mixed messages.

• Approval prosody with a prohibition message.

• Negative prosody with an approval message.

• Understanding both the melody and the meaning of the words.

First Language Acquisition

• Children learn a first language:• without much effort

• without much correction

• without direct instruction

• Languages develop in communities without spoken language:

• Deaf – sign language, Twins

• Typical Time-line in Months (much variation)

Birth 6 12 18 24 30

Prosody Phoneme Word Word Noun/Verb Grammatical

Recognition Boundaries Meaning Differences Functions

Brain imaging techniques allow us to see which areas of the brain

control various functions.

Language Pathway

Temporal Lobe:

Lexicon, Meaning

Frontal Lobe:

Language

Production

Second Languages in the Brain

• fMRIs of students who learned a second language from very young vs. those who learned later show …

No difference in

areas of activity

when using the two

languages for either

group.

For later learners,

two different areas

within Broca’s – no

difference for young

learners.

Language Acquisition

• 3 main aspects of language acquisition that differ between our first and a subsequent language:

Aspect of Language

Acquisition

Advantage for Early

Learning

Pronunciation Huge advantage!

Grammar Some advantage.

Vocabulary Slight advantage.

Pronunciation

• Some aspects of speech patterns are learned in utero.• Infants prefer the sound of their mother’s voice

• Cries of French and German babies

• At birth we can hear the sounds of all 6,000 languages.

• By 6 months, the neural connections representing the phonemes of our language are reinforced and remain – others wither away.

• The later we start, the harder it is to develop an authentic accent. Mid-adolescent years.

However …

Grammar – Syntax

• Children’s speech is 90%+ grammatical by age 4.• Mistakes are usually over-regularization.

• Aspects of language may be:

• Difficulty is relative to the difference between the two languages.

Preponderance Example Difficulty Learning

Later

Universal Nouns and verbs Little or none

Pervasive SVO Strings

Adjective Noun order

Challenging for

some

Less Common Neuter

Inflection

Challenging for most

Grammar – Syntax/Semantics

Word Order Example Language

Subject-Verb-Object I see the train. English, German

Romance Languages

Subject-Object-Verb I the train see.

With this ring, I thee wed.

Japanese

Archaic English Expressions

Verb-Subject-Object See I the train. Gaelic

No Required Order –

Inflection of Words

Canis mordet hominem.

Hominem canis mordet.

Hominem mordet canis.

“Dog bites man.”

Vs.

Canem mordet homo.

“Man bites dog.”

Latin, Russian, Finnish

Vocabulary

• We learn new vocabulary throughout our lives:• E-mail

• Blog

• Laptop

• Eventually they even make it into the dictionary.

• Or consider:• SPED

• ELL

• Title I

• RTI (now MTSS)

Cognitive Skills and Language Learning

Cognitive

Skills

Language

Learning

• Attention

• Working Memory

• Inhibitory Control

• Cognitive Flexibility

• Processing Speed

• Visual-Spatial Skills

Concept Formation

Classification Skills

Analogical Reasoning

Story-Telling Skills

Creativity

Literacy Skills

Phonics/Phonemic Awareness,

Word Decoding, Fluency, Vocabulary,

Comprehension

Foundational Cognitive SkillsAttention (Sustained, Selective, Flexible), Visual Processing (Visual Discrimination,

Visual Span, Visual Form Consistency, Visualization), Auditory Processing , Sensory

Integration (Processing Speed, Timing and Rhythm, Visual-Auditory Integration,

Simultaneous and Sequential Processing), Memory (Immediate Short-Term, Short-

Term, Long-Term)

Core Executive FunctionsWorking Memory, Inhibitory Control,

Cognitive Flexibility

Higher Order Executive Functions

Reasoning, Problem-Solving, Planning, Critical

Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity

Numeracy Skills

Number Sense, Operation Sense,

Computation, Measurement, Probability

Academic Performance

Educational Attainment

Workplace Performance

Lifetime Income

Health Outcomes

Legal & Safety

Technology Skills

Digital Media Use, Productivity Tools,

Programming, Systems Thinking

Cognitive Processes Critical in the Classroom (and in Life)

Sight

Hearing

Touch

Taste

Smell

R

E

C

E

P

T

O

R

S

Sensory

Memory

Working

Memory

Long-Term

MemoryInitial

Processing

Elaboration

Organization

Retrieval

Rehearsal

Information not transferred to next

stage = forgotten!

Sensory Memory: Recognizing Phonemes

“D-O-G”

Long-Term Memory: Irregular Verbs

Limited or no

experience with

irregular verbs

Repeated

experience with

irregular verbs

walk + ed

go + ed

Rules of Syntax = Add –ed for past tense

walked

goed

walk + ed

go + ed

walked

went

Working Memory: Comprehension

• Consider the sentence:

• John made fun of the girl who was kissed by the chimpanzee yesterday.

• Now imagine that you can’t remember what the words “make fun of” and “chimpanzee” mean.

• Now imagine that you are listening to an inflected language where word order permits:

• The girl John made fun of was by the chimpanzee kissed yesterday.

• Strong working memory is vital for thinking and language learning.

Selective Attention: Inhibiting Word Candidates

Object in Speaker’s Mind

Words Available to Dual Language Speaker

Spanish

(Nontarget Language)

English

(Target Language)

silla asiento chair seat

silla asiento chair seat


Cognitive

Skills

Language

Learning

• Attention

• Working Memory





Concept Formation




Creativity

Common Myths Regarding Bilingualism

• Cerebral confusion

• Split personality

• Brain can only handle one language

• One language will out-balance the other

• Languages are completely isolated in different parts of the brain

• You have to learn all skills twice

English Language Learners

• 60 million people in the U.S. don’t speak English at home

• Almost 5 million public school students are ELL

• They speak hundreds of different languages

• ELL students account for more than 10% of the school population in DC, Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Illinois and Florida

• ELL students 22% of the population in California, and 17% in Nevada

• Young ELLs are more likely than other children to be living in poverty

• 13.8% of ELL students have a disability

Just 1 of 5 students in the U.S. is enrolled in a class to learn a second language.

Academic Achievement of ELLs% Performing at Basic of Above

0

50

100

2005 2009 2015

ELL

Non-ELL

0

50

100

2005 2009 2015

ELL

Non-ELL

0

50

100

2005 2009 2015

ELL

Non-ELL

0

50

100

2005 2009 2015

ELL

Non-ELL

Grade 4 Math

Grade 8 Math

Grade 4 Reading

Grade 8 Reading

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)


Cognitive

Skills

Language

Learning

• Attention

• Working Memory





Concept Formation




Creativity

Xilin Community Center, Naperville, IL

• Chinese the primary language spoken at home

• Parents want the children to continue to speak Chinese

• After-school programs that include enrichment (arts, ping pong) and Chinese school

• Students used BrainWare SAFARI at home with parents for 12 weeks, 3 to 5 times a week, total of 4 hours a week.

• Pre- and post-test with the Woodcock-Johnson III Cognitive Battery and tests of achievement

Xilin Cognitive Test Results

910

13

8

11

8

1112 1212

13

16

14 1413

15

18

16

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

41 46 44 45 40 48 47 42 43

Pre-Test

Post-Tes

Physical Age

Age in

Years

Student Number

Average Cognitive Growth =

3 years 6 months

Xilin Academic Test Results

8

10 10 9 98

14

1615

9

13

1012 11

9

1921

17

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

41 46 44 45 40 48 47 42 43

Pre-Test

Post-Test

Physical Age

Age in

Years

Average Academic Growth =

2 years 5 months

Student Number

School City of Hammond, Hammond, IN

• Bilingual program services 1600 students speaking 64 language groups, in 23 schools

• 39 students grades 6 through 9 that were in the all-day program

• Used BrainWare an average of 4 times a week for 8 weeks

• Pre- and post- assessment with teacher surveys and Scholastic Reading Inventory (district-mandated reading assessment)

Cognitive Growth – Top Areas of Improvement

All teachers noted improvement for their classes in all cognitive indicators surveyed.

� Desire to perform / put in effort

� Attention span and focus

� Following directions

� Ability to visualize

Average Lexile Scores 2nd Trimester

proficient

basic

0

200

400

600

800

1000

6 7 8 & 9

min average max Average Trend

Average Lexile Scores 3rd Trimester

proficient

basic

0

200

400

600

800

1000

6 7 8 & 9

min average max Average Trend

Grade 7 Percentage Improving Scores

42%

67%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Tri2-1 Tri3-2

$ Increased

% Decreased

Grade 8 & 9 Percentage Improving Scores

33%

100%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Tri2-1 Tri3-2

$ Increased

% Decreased

Teacher Comments

• This program has been a positive force in developing the students’ abilities and potentials.

• I have noticed improvements academically with my students. There was more effort and they were more focused.

• I think this is an excellent way to improve memory, visualization, and strategizing. All of my students thought of it as a game, it kept their focus, and they showed improvements all around.

Fillmore Unified School District – Fillmore, CA

• Small city in an agricultural area, 75% Hispanic/Latino population

• 3rd grade classes in all four elementary schools, one BrainWare Group and one Non-BrainWare Group in each school

• Used BrainWare 3 times a week for 12 weeks

• California State Assessments

The BrainWare Company

MyBrainWare.com

ELL Closing the Gap in ELA

304 304

350

375

296

285

336 340

200

220

240

260

280

300

320

340

360

380

400

ELL - BWS ELL - Non-BWS Efluent - BWS Efluent - Non-

BWS

Med

ian

Scale

d S

co

re

2nd - 2012 3rd -2012

• EL BWS Group

decreased less than

Non-BWS Group and

less than state-wide

average

• Gap between EL and

EF narrows

EL BWS Group Change = -8

EL Non-BWS Group Change = -19

EF BWS Group Change = -14

EF Non-BWS Group change = -35

ELL Closing the Gap in Math

• EL BWS group increased

significantly more than the

Non-BWS group and the state

wide average

• Gap between EL and FE

narrows

EL BWS Group Change = 27

EL Non-BWS Group Change = 3

EF BWS Group Change = 18

EF Non-BWS Group Change = 2

295

319

364

384

322322

382 386

200

220

240

260

280

300

320

340

360

380

400

ELL - BWS ELL - Non-

BWS

Efluent - BWS Efluent - Non-

BWS

Med

ian

scale

d s

co

re

2nd-2012 3rd-2013

St Andrew’s Scots School – Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Private school, affluent families, Spanish-speaking, learning English

• 40 4th grade students, assigned to control and BrainWare groups

• Used BrainWare 3 times a week for 12 weeks

• Pre- and Post-test with DAB-3, school achievement in Reading, Writing and Math (English)

Median Percentile RankingsListening, Speaking, Reading

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Story Comp Characteristics Read Comp

Cotrol Pre-Test Control Post-Test BWS Pre-Test BWS Post-Test

Effect Size

0.2

Effect Size

0.26

Median Percentile RankingsWriting and Math

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Writing Context Writing Construct Math Reason Math Calc

Cotrol Pre-Test Control Post-Test BWS Pre-Test BWS Post-Test

Effect Size

0.2

Effect Size

0.4


Cognitive

Skills

Language

Learning

• Attention

• Working Memory





Concept Formation




Creativity

Questions?

Let’s stay

connected

Betsy Hill

[email protected]

773-250-6467

www.linkedin.com/in/betsyhill

www.MyBrainWare.com

www.facebook.com/BrainWareLearning/

Cognitive Skills and Second or Other Language

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