Building Relationships with Novice Learners
By Lara Ravitch
Strong relationships between campers and staff are very important. They require respect, caring, and trust. But what if a camper doesn’t speak English at all?
Here are some tips for a strong relationship with campers. These tricks work even with no common language.
Use Strategies to Make Language Comprehensible
Sometimes, it can be hard to talk to novices. For this reason, staff may avoid talking to them. This can cause problems. They can feel sad and lonely. They can lose a chance to practice language. So talk to your campers! Use these tools to help them understand.
· Gesture with your whole body. Act out questions about camper’s pets. Show your favorite sports.
· Use cognates. These are words that sound the same in both languages. They can help you talk about famous people or favorite foods.
· Talk about objects in your location. This creates a shared experience.
Show That You Care Without Language
Language is important. However, you don’t need to practice language all the time. Take a break from talking and try action. Actions speak louder than words! Work together toward a common goal. Give gifts. Do acts of service. These actions can help campers see that you care for them.
· Draw your camper a picture.
· Offer to braid your camper’s hair or paint a cool tattoo.
· Do an easy art project together.
· Bring them a cool rock.
· Take them to see a turtle laying eggs in the sand or a butterfly in a cocoon.
· Work on a puzzle together.
· Play wordless games like checkers, memory, or tic-tac-toe.
· Let your camper teach you their favorite dance.
Be Persistent, Positive, and Playful
What we do to connect with campers is important. HOW we do it is also important. Here are some things to think about as you get to know a novice-level child.
· If one approach to communication isn’t working, try another one! Stopping without a success can make a camper feel that you don’t care. Working hard makes them see that they are worth your time and effort.
· Give a LOT of praise. Give positive responses when children try to communicate. In most cases, younger children like warm praise and high fives. Teens usually prefer a more reserved, “cool” approach, but they still need to be recognized!
· Don’t be afraid to look silly! Hop like a frog! Make a bad drawing of a truck! Let an 8-year-old teach you a crazy dance! When you are not afraid to be silly in front of the campers, they see that you trust them. They also learn that they can be silly and make mistakes. This helps them feel more comfortable using English as they begin their language learning journey.
Remember to have a meaningful interaction with every camper in your group at least once a day. These strategies can help you to build strong relationships with your campers.