Tanitateacher: English summer camp/Building Relationships with Novice Learners

By Lara Ravitch

Strong relationships between campers and counselors require respect, caring, trust and creativity. But how can you demonstrate these characteristics if a camper doesn’t speak English?

Here are some tips and tricks for developing a strong camper-counselor relationship even without a common language.

Use Strategies to Make Language Comprehensible

In order for children to feel cared about, they need to be communicated with. A lack of a common language is not a reason to avoid talking to your campers! There are many strategies you can use to make your language comprehensible even when your campers don’t speak English at all.

· Gestures can help you have a conversation about a camper’s pets or favorite sports.

· Cognates (words that sound the same in both languages) can help you communicate about favorite music or movies.

· Concrete objects in your location can focus attention on a shared experience.

Show That You Care Without Language

Actions really do speak louder than words! Working together toward a common goal, giving gifts, or performing acts of service for your campers can help them see that you care for them.

· Draw your camper a picture.

· Offer to braid your camper’s hair or paint on a cool tattoo.

· Work on an art project or puzzle together.

· Bring them an unusual rock.

· Take them to see a turtle laying eggs in the sand or a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

· Play wordless games like checkers, connect four, memory, or even 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, but how we do it may be more important. Here are some things to think about as you try to get to know a novice-level child.

· If one approach to communication isn’t working, try another one! Leaving an interaction without a positive ending 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 and positive responses to children’s attempts to communicate. In most cases, younger children will appreciate very abundant, dramatic exclamatory praise and high fives. Teens will usually prefer a more reserved, “cool” approach, but they still definitely need to be recognized!

· Don’t be afraid to look silly! Hop around 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, which will help 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 and approaches can help you to build strong, lasting relationships with your campers.