The Inner World of the immigrant child

Dra. Cristina Igoa

Resumen

In the presentation, it is told the story of the odyssey to understand the inner world of immigrant children. Teaching a class of immigrant children, they create filmstrip stories, and I was struck by the symbols evoked by the children in their stories: wolves chasing them; the staring eyes of a tiger; fallen squirrels; lonely bears walking through the woods; a little egg that needs a nest.

Years later, I followed up the children in their early adulthood, and in retrospective dialogues, I with them could break through these symbols, giving teachers insight into immigrant child’s experience of uprooting, culture shock, and adjustment. Applying these insights, I describe my model of cultural, academic, and psychological interventions that facilitate learning as immigrant students make the transition to a new language and culture. In conclusion, I demonstrate how, once the children's needs are met, they are able to develop the strong literacy skills that empower them to make it in their new world.