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6/1/19-W06-Personal Space Differences

People have a bubble of personal space around them. The size of this bubble is determined by a person's culture and background.

I think that this could cause some potential challenges in a TESOL classroom. The first problem that I think is possible is students from different cultures getting into misunderstandings with each other or the teacher. They could be offended that people won't be as close to them as they are used to or they could feel like they are being invaded by other people who are more comfortable in large groups. Another problem could be that rural students will have a larger bubble than students from city environments and thus they will need to be given more space to get comfortable. Another concern I have is if the students are from a similar culture that requires little personal space then they might get into trouble for being too touchy-feely and intimate at school.

The successes of this in a TESOL classroom could be that as you respect students need for space you will find that they are able to be comfortable and recognize that they are in a safe place.

I think that this is something that rings really true to me. Children are taught how to respect others personal space while they have almost a preprogrammed need for personal space. The more they are exposed to limited personal space the more that space is internalized. The less constricted someone is the more space they require to feel comfortable. There may have to be a lesson or several lessons where the class learns and practices giving others the space they require depending on physical cues. We will also have to teach the students what they're actions will be interpreted as in the society they now live.

My culture is pretty rural. Everyone has places that they can go to where they can have a lot of free comfortable space. I do think if they know about how other cultures perceive personal space would help people not be so offended by people that they don't understand. It would help them realize that the way that they live is not the only way to do things and that people are adaptable.

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