I’ve written a chapter about the importance of relationship-building in my book, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work. There’s lots of research documenting its importance, including showing how it reduces stress for students and, therefore, enhances their ability to learn a second language.

I just learned today about a two-year-old study that finds, in general, that reinforces that research. It says:

The higher the level of participants’ social interaction, researchers found, the better their cognitive functioning.

In addition, the study found that ten minutes of discussion on an assigned topic (a “social issue”) also specifically resulted in participants scoring higher on tests.

I’m adding this post to My Best Posts On How To Prepare For Standardized Tests (And Why They’re Bad).