Learners of any new language, including English, will experience a period during which they can comprehend speech but are unable to speak themselves. This is known as the silent period and while it's perfectly normal, there are many misconceptions about what is actually going on during this period.
When you first began to learn your native language as a baby, whether it was English or another language, you could not produce anything close to correct speech right away (your "gaa" and "baa" words were far too complex for the rest of the world to understand). This is because of something called the silent period, or the pre-production stage of language learning. Everyone goes through it when learning a new language - babies and adults alike.
Image Source: Elizabeth LaPrade
When this occurs in babies, we don't question it. We all know that babies take time to learn to speak. However, when adult English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle to produce spoken language even after several months, tutors and teachers often become concerned about the effectiveness of their teaching methods. This concern is often misguided, as all adult ELLs experience the silent period, during which time they may understand some or most of what's being said to them in the new language but are unable to reproduce much of it.
It is important to note that the silent period differs in length for each individual learner. The silent period can last anywhere from a few days to a year. If your learner struggles with speaking English, the best thing for you to do is simply give them more time to pass through the silent period. Pressuring them to speak may cause embarrassment or discomfort which will only set your learner back further in the long run, and in most cases your learner should be allowed to move through the silent period at their own pace.
You should not measure either your learner's progress with the language or your own teaching proficiency by speech production alone. Comprehension and even writing can be good indicators in these areas as well. Many tutors may experience feelings of failure when after several months of one-on-one tutoring, their learners are unable to say much more than "yes," "no," and "hello." However, even if your learner only says "yes" to the question "Were you able to get outside to the park today and enjoy some of this sunny weather?", it's still quite clear that they're making significant progress in learning and understanding English.
There are several factors which play a role in influencing the duration of the silent period, and each individual learner may experience any combination of these factors. Basic things like time spent with a tutor, time spent actually hearing conversational English, and necessity of use may play in to the length of time your learner spends in the silent period. On top of these are other factors such as personality type (shy vs. outgoing) and native culture (e.g. women are not expected to speak out in some cultures). Finally, having a friend or coworker for whom English is a non-native language may increase your learner's confidence and shorten the silent period.
Image Source: Notorious Rob
The silent period is a normal part of language learning, and it makes sense. Comprehension precedes production in almost all aspects of life. For example, if you're someone who watches sports but only every once in a while, you might be able to understand the game of football while you're watching it, but you might also feel stuck when asked to explain the rules to a friend. It is important to realize that this period is normal and that there's no 'quick fix' to speed up your learner's speaking ability. If you teach with patience, encouragement, and respect, your learner will progress to speaking and fluency in due time.
I hope this post helped clear up some questions as to why your learners may be hesitant speakers. While learners often spend a good deal of time in the silent period, you should of course continue to monitor their ability and any frequent errors. If you think you've given your learner more than enough time and tutoring and they are having trouble either understanding or speaking, there is always the possibility that they have an undiagnosed learning difficulty. You can check out my post on learning difficulties and what to look for, but I encourage you after reading this post to not jump to any conclusions too quickly. After all, every learner is different.
Happy tutoring!
Kris
Tufts University, Class of 2016
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
When you first began to learn your native language as a baby, whether it was English or another language, you could not produce anything close to correct speech right away (your "gaa" and "baa" words were far too complex for the rest of the world to understand). This is because of something called the silent period, or the pre-production stage of language learning. Everyone goes through it when learning a new language - babies and adults alike.
When this occurs in babies, we don't question it. We all know that babies take time to learn to speak. However, when adult English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle to produce spoken language even after several months, tutors and teachers often become concerned about the effectiveness of their teaching methods. This concern is often misguided, as all adult ELLs experience the silent period, during which time they may understand some or most of what's being said to them in the new language but are unable to reproduce much of it.
It is important to note that the silent period differs in length for each individual learner. The silent period can last anywhere from a few days to a year. If your learner struggles with speaking English, the best thing for you to do is simply give them more time to pass through the silent period. Pressuring them to speak may cause embarrassment or discomfort which will only set your learner back further in the long run, and in most cases your learner should be allowed to move through the silent period at their own pace.
You should not measure either your learner's progress with the language or your own teaching proficiency by speech production alone. Comprehension and even writing can be good indicators in these areas as well. Many tutors may experience feelings of failure when after several months of one-on-one tutoring, their learners are unable to say much more than "yes," "no," and "hello." However, even if your learner only says "yes" to the question "Were you able to get outside to the park today and enjoy some of this sunny weather?", it's still quite clear that they're making significant progress in learning and understanding English.
There are several factors which play a role in influencing the duration of the silent period, and each individual learner may experience any combination of these factors. Basic things like time spent with a tutor, time spent actually hearing conversational English, and necessity of use may play in to the length of time your learner spends in the silent period. On top of these are other factors such as personality type (shy vs. outgoing) and native culture (e.g. women are not expected to speak out in some cultures). Finally, having a friend or coworker for whom English is a non-native language may increase your learner's confidence and shorten the silent period.
The silent period is a normal part of language learning, and it makes sense. Comprehension precedes production in almost all aspects of life. For example, if you're someone who watches sports but only every once in a while, you might be able to understand the game of football while you're watching it, but you might also feel stuck when asked to explain the rules to a friend. It is important to realize that this period is normal and that there's no 'quick fix' to speed up your learner's speaking ability. If you teach with patience, encouragement, and respect, your learner will progress to speaking and fluency in due time.
I hope this post helped clear up some questions as to why your learners may be hesitant speakers. While learners often spend a good deal of time in the silent period, you should of course continue to monitor their ability and any frequent errors. If you think you've given your learner more than enough time and tutoring and they are having trouble either understanding or speaking, there is always the possibility that they have an undiagnosed learning difficulty. You can check out my post on learning difficulties and what to look for, but I encourage you after reading this post to not jump to any conclusions too quickly. After all, every learner is different.
Happy tutoring!
Kris
Kristofer Pieper
Programs and Social Media Intern, English At LargeTufts University, Class of 2016
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
No comments:
Post a Comment