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!) First, everyone experiences things differently. Just as not everyone goes through the stages of grieving in the same way or even experiences all of the stages, Grigor is simply experiencing the stages of language development at his own rate. Second, spoken language can be much more difficult to master than written language. When a person is reading, he or she can read slowly, reread passages, and look up words that he or she does not understand, whereas when a person is having a conversation, the pace may be much faster, and it is more difficult to keep up. Finally, conversing with a few people in the safety of one's home is much different from speaking in front of a class of students. Grigor may be hesitant to express himself verbally yet. I would take several steps in dealing with this situation. First, be aware of any possible bullying which Grigor may be experiencing because of his English or cultural differences. Also, create situations which give Grigor the opportunity to use English with a partner or small group of people. Do not push Grigor to speak before he is ready or put him on the spot. The fact that Grigor is from another country is not his only defining characteristic. He may already have been an introverted child, which has been compounded by his move. Sensitivity is key here.                 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: Good! Rated On: October 17, 2014 6:00 pm Rated By: TuBuJy                 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, there is no timeline on how long it takes someone to develop. I think your idea of partnering up or small group work to ease him into communicating with his classmates is a great solution. Rated On: October 19, 2014 3:49 pm Rated By: Angela Avery                 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 think this is a great idea, because this gives him a chance to get him to talk at his own pace. Checking to see if he's being bullied because of his accent or English is also a good idea. Rated On: February 24, 2015 7:52 pm Rated By: LeqeHe                 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: Good point there could be several reasons. Rated On: February 26, 2016 3:57 am Rated By: uVeWar                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: I would not use this solution in my classroom. Rated On: March 2, 2016 5:37 am Rated By: uBybuz                 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: You're right than some students develop at different stages. Rated On: October 8, 2018 2:54 pm Rated By: uQuJyh                 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: Yes I agree with you, sensitivity to Grigor's feelings is vital when it comes to understanding him better! The ideas you had about giving him the opportunities to work in small groups or with a partner is great because he can try to open up linguistically and learn English better as well. He is not to be pushed, like you said, but rather invited! Rated On: October 31, 2021 9:32 pm Rated By: dedyqa