IndexResearch Studies and FindingsLinks to Classroom ReadingsImplicationsMy ThoughtsFor a long time, many have argued that children should not be taught two languages ​​because it may affect their cognitive abilities and confuse them. Another argument is that bilingual children will have academic difficulties when they start school and may fall behind. In the United States, children are often teased for speaking their native language and are encouraged to speak only English. However, numerous research in recent years has shown that being bilingual has a positive effect on the cognitive development of children and on the cognitive abilities of older adults. The research has also dispelled the myth that a child will suffer in school, demonstrating instead that bilingualism can improve overall academic performance in school. In fact, according to Werker (2011), people who speak more than one language have overall advantages in cognitive development. According to Bialystok (2013), families can assimilate their children into another language without having to give up their first language. According to Bak (2014), a person can still learn a new language later in life to positively influence his or her aging brain. This article will examine the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development, the benefits bilingualism brings to the brain later in life, and discuss why these studies and findings are relevant to education. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Studies and research findings A lot of research has been conducted to understand how bilingualism affects the brain and whether there are cognitive benefits when a person speaks more than one language. Research by Werker (2011) found that children who grow up bilingual have some language skills that monolingual children do not have. Dr. Werker used eight-month-olds raised with both Spanish and Catalan at home and infants raised with only one language spoken at home. These children listened to the women recite sentences in English and then in French. The monolingual children couldn't tell the difference when the women spoke English or French. However, the bilingual children could distinguish between the two languages ​​not only by listening but also visually, and even if they did not understand the languages ​​they paid attention to the speaker for a longer time. Children who could not discriminate became bored and looked away. Dr. Werker has found that bilingual children show several cognitive advantages that can help them with more general learning. Bialystok's (2013) research examined how bilingualism influences cognitive control of the brain and age-related cognitive decline by studying the medical records of monolingual and bilingual patients who had been diagnosed with various types of dementia. The sample of monolingual and bilingual AD patients used by Dr. Bialystok were of the same age and cognitive level. CT scans of patients showed more AD pathology in the brains of bilingual speakers, which shows that they can cope with dementia for longer without showing symptoms. This was because bilingualism is a mental activity that constantly exercises the brain. Research by Bak (2014) revealed positive effects of bilingualism on cognition in later life in both early bilinguals and those who acquired a second language in adulthood. He also found that bilingualism slowed the onset of dementia. For the research, Dr Bak studied the Lothian birth cohorts he attendedadministered an intelligence test in 1947 when they were 11 years old. The group was tracked down, tested again at age seventy-three, and then the results were compared. The results showed that bilinguals performed much better in general intelligence, focus, attention function, and divided and selected attention functions. Dr. Bak found no negative effects of bilingualism. Connections to classroomreadings In the article by Genesse and Nicoladis (2008) the authors examine concerns about bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA), such as whether language development in BFL students is the same as that of monolinguals, whether those who are learning two languages ​​simultaneously face academic challenges, and whether BFL students will be ostracized by their peers. In their research, they conclude that bilingual children begin to speak and develop their morphology and syntax at the same age as monolingual children and that bilinguals can turn off mutual exclusivity principles to accept two names for one object. Bialystok (2013) similarly discusses how bilingual people can see something and assign two labels to it (e.g., dog, dog). He also states that bilingualism strengthens executive control systems in the brain because bilinguals generally outperform monolinguals on executive control tasks. Genesse and Nicoladis also look at code-mixing, the use of two languages ​​in the same conversation. In the past, bilingual children who used code-mixing were believed to be confused and developmentally delayed. However, according to Genesse and Nicoladis, the bilingual children's code mixing was grammatically correct, which may indicate that bilinguals are more intelligent because they know the grammar of both languages ​​and because they mix codes like adults. Bak (2014) also addresses language switching made by bilinguals and finds it useful because the person's brain gets exercise. It's not that a bilingual child is confused, but rather skilled because he knows when he can and cannot mix languages ​​and with which audiences. The brains of bilinguals are constantly working, but they do it automatically: they don't have to think about it. Kuhl, Conboy, Padden, Nelson, and Pruitt (2005) support the research conducted by Dr. Werker using a similar method in their research. Dr. Werker mentioned a head-turning conditioning experiment in which infants turn their heads to the left or right if they hear a certain sound. Kuhl et al. they tested children raised in a monolingual home in this way. They used the phonetic sounds of English and Mandarin Chinese to explore the connection between perception and subsequent language skills. Children's ability to distinguish between the sounds of English and Mandarin can predict their language skills. Kuhl et al. they also believe that social interaction influences children's understanding and production of words. Therefore, they will agree that Dr. Werker's study was particularly effective because the children subjected to her intervention interacted face-to-face with speakers of the language. Genesse and Nicoladis, Bialystok, Bak and Kuhl et al. I fully agree that there are no negative effects of bilingualism. Implications The research studies on bilingualism by Werker, Bialystok, Bak, Genesse, and Nicoladis are relevant to education because they demonstrate that bilingual children do not experience poor cognitive performance as once believed. This outdated thinking, combined with prejudices against children of different cultures, has led to instruction and assessments being conducted predominantly in English, causing bilingual students to underachieve. The students.