Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Silent Period Grigor is in my 4th grade classroom. He came to the US last year with his family from Bulgaria. He was in 4th grade at our school last year as well. He was retained in 4th grade because he did not develop his English language skills. I learned about a "silent period" that children go through when they learn a new language. My guess is that Grigor is in the silent period. But it does not make sense to me that he would be in the silent period for almost two years. He does not say anything in class. He does not socialize with his classmates either. He can read and write in simple English though. His parents tell me that he acts completely normal at home and he is able to communicate with English speaking people at home when they have guests. This is really puzzling. I have to find a way to communicate with Grigor and discover what is holding him back from communicating with people at school. I need some help. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) My guess is that Grigor is still very uncomfortable in the new school. The best thing to do is to find out more about him as a person. What are his likes and dislikes? This information is a very valuable tool to use for your advantage to make a connection with him. The biggest thing is that his education goes beyond the classroom, and he will open up to you once he feels comfortable.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I agree his comfort level is probably low, but after two years it would seem he might have self-esteem issues due to being retained a year and not being able to communicate effectively. I agree communication is important because I would try to find out what the boy is good at, and have him do that to help build his self-esteem. Instilling success in our students in very important. Rated On: October 19, 2014 10:49 pm Rated By: Adam Sanchez