Probably by this point you might have noticed you have a few silent students in your preschool or primary EFL classes. These students often set off alarm bells for new teachers, teaching assistants, and parents when they hear that their child isn’t speaking in class. I’ve worked with dozens of teachers over the years on this very issue and the good news is there’s often no need to panic. The Silent Period has scared many teachers in classrooms around the world, but it’s a natural phase that will pass. The key is to understand a few core concepts and stay calm.
The Silent Period
According to theorists such as Krashen, Oliveri, and Haynes there are 5 stages of language acquisition; the first being the Silent Period. In this phase, which may last from a few hours to several months to even a year, students spend most of their time listening to and acquiring language. They may repeat after their teacher like a parrot, but that isn’t considered “speech” until it is used meaningfully to communicate information. In some ways this mirrors how infants learn their native language. They listen for months before beginning to make sounds or words from their first language.
In both cases it’s important to remember that children in the Silent Period are learning. They’re familiarizing themselves with the sounds and rhythms of the language as well as picking up vocabulary and other information from context.
Students will transition out of this stage once they build up enough confidence and vocabulary. The timing for this depends on a whole range of factors including age, culture, learning environment, and personality factors such as shyness & fear of making mistakes. I’ve seen some students start repeating after me within our first lesson and start using the language soon after while others took weeks to do so.
This didn’t always match how students were doing by the end of a school year, however. Many times the silent students at the start of the year had turned into the most confident and articulate of the class.
Handling Silent Students
The first rule of teaching silent students in large classes is to not panic. Once you notice a consistently quiet child in your class you should take note and prepare several tactics.
Take it Easy
One important thing to avoid is pressuring children to speak. Many new teachers can feel challenged by their silent students. These teachers think that if a child isn’t speaking then they aren’t learning – or that they don’t want to participate in class. In these cases some teachers demand their children stand up and speak, or they report the child to the administration or their parents. This isn’t a good idea.
We can really do damage to our students’ feeling and make them feel insecure, unhappy, or overly stressed. All of those feelings lower learning outcomes.
Listening Activities
One of the best things you can do is provide listening activities. Games that use Total Physical Response such as Drill Sergeant or activities like Listen & Point or Flashcard Safari give silent students chances to participate without speaking while still gaining confidence. They also let you visually confirm that they can understand the target language.
Also great are coloring dictations, small crafts, or plasticine play activities. These give you great evidence to show your silent students can understand some English.
Finally, reading storybooks to children provides a meaningful contexts for them to hear English.
Group Speaking
Another effective technique is to always include group production activities like class drilling, chanting, or singing. Silent students can follow along without feeling lots of pressure to join in or fear that they’re going to be called on to speak in front of everyone.
Chants and especially songs are best for young students because they’re naturally memorable and engaging. Most small children enjoy singing and will be intrinsically motivated to join in as soon as they’re ready.
Low Stakes and Smiles
When your silent student starts speaking or has a turn to speak make sure to keep the stakes low. Smile and encourage the child to try. Recognize any effort that they give – again, just a smile is enough. Don’t worry if they make any mistakes.
They’re just at the start of their English journey and they’ll have plenty of chances to improve later. You don’t want to correct and possibly embarrass them.
Parents and the Silent Period
One of the hardest parts of dealing with silent students is managing the adults in their lives; their other teachers and parents. If someone is concerned that a student isn’t speaking you want to have evidence of what they can do. This is where listening activities, especially ones with a final product like coloring dictations, come in handy.
You might also want to look at your class instructions, rules and routines. If your student can follow these then they’re a clear indication of progress and learning.
Finally, if your student has been learning English for more than a year or used to speak in previous classes then you probably have other issues going on. At that point it’s important get more information. Speak with other adults who know the child well such as their homeroom teacher or parents. Talking to the child in their native language, if possible, is great as well.
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