When teaching young learners at Chip Chip, have you ever met a child that stay silent and is not interactive? Are you stressed everytime you meet such students? Or are you afraid of meeting a similar student? It is time you put those thoughts behind you because this situation is very common among ESL learners, experts call it "The Silent Period".

The Silent Period often occurs when learners are freshly exposed to a new language. This is similar to the process infants undergo when they learn a first language. They go through a stage of listening, watching, and processing. The amount of time needed can vary per child, but eventually, they begin to combine what they collected and produce their own words. In the same manner, ESL learners go through The Silent Period before becoming active and responsive.  In this period, learners may stay relatively silent, depending on each individual, and they should not be expected to actively produce any language. They are working at top speed with listening, watching, processing, and comprehending, until they have accumulated enough language to feel comfortable with talking. The duration of The Silent Period can vary, but it is generally longer the younger the student is.

The Silent Period can be identified in students according to the following signs:

-         Facing the camera stoically, or having only small movements like nodding or swaying the head

-         Looking at the teacher without any response

-         Listening and observing the activity without active participation

-         Saying no word at all, or talking in Vietnamese a little

-         Engaging in activities only once a while 

Whenever meeting a child who is going through The Silent Period, the tips below may be helpful: