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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!) This sounds like a very difficult situation for you. Grigor sounds like he is still unable to get past his insecurities at school and does not feel comfortable enough to communicate while he is at school. It is strange the he is communicating so well at home in English. I would venture to say that he feels much more comfortable at home as he is with his family. He also may not feel like there is any pressures on him while he is at home because there is not a teacher there to potentially correct him when he makes a mistake. Perhaps Grigor may just simply need more time to listen to others talk, to digest what he hears, and to observe his classmates interactions. It is possible that Grigor understands what is being said, but he is still just not ready to talk about it in an educational setting. Personality definitely plays a large role in determining how long the 'silent period' lasts. A shy and quiet child may take longer before they become comfortable speaking a new language at school. Another factor that may be playing a role in his language development is his native culture. Regardless of what could be stopping him from breaking out of this stage there are somethings that you may want to consider doing to encourage Grigor to speak with more frequency while at school. You may want to provide plenty of opportunities for "hands-on" activities that have Grigor and other students interacting in small groups. This may help Grigor feel more confident in taking risks in oral language. It should not be assumed that young learners of English do not feel embarrassment or shyness when attempting to speak in a second language. You can help to alleviate Grigor's fears by creating a language nurturing environment within the classroom. You may want to try and establish a relationship with Grigor. This will provide a great deal of help and support to those who are new to this country and it's language. The more comfortable they feel, the more apt they are to take chances. The more anxiety they feel, the less language they will comprehend. A few more ideas may be to utilize choral reading and total physical response methods with him during instruction. You should definitely devote your attention to listening comprehension activities and on building his receptive vocabulary. |
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