Self Study Project

Self Study Project

1. How long do we let the student try until we start to help them after saying "you try it"?

   • We want to give them time to take risks, but not enough time to let them get too frustrated
   • If they are just sitting there quietly and it's pretty obvious they're not going to take a guess at the word, we should step in and help them out with it.
   • When they do try to read a word, we need to give them praise for anything about the word that was right. Whether it sounded like another word or one of the letters was right, they need that positive reinforcement.

2. How do I learn everything I need to learn about all the different languages I'm going to encounter?

   • I think some part of this is we learn by experience. We work with our students and help them in whatever way we can.
   • Most second language learners still speak their first language when they are at home. It's important to give them positive reinforcement and make sure they know they are not wrong when they speak their first language. We need to praise them for all the little things.
   • I also think we can learn from them. They can help show us what they need and how they're used to learning and from that, we can decide on what the best way is to teach them.

3. If we know a child will shut down when we try to read a new book with them, how do we get them to get excited to read and show them it's okay to take risks?

   • They need a lot of positive reinforcement. We need to praise all the little things they do right. We need to help build up their self-confidence.
   • Another thing we can do is choose a book from their reading level about something we know they like.
   • Make sure they know taking risks is part of learning. Make sure they know we're not here to judge them if they make a mistake, but to help them in any way we can.