In Toohey's article "'Breaking Them Up, Taking Them Away': ESL Students in Grade 1," I somewhat disagreed with the seating arrangement that the teacher initially had. I understand that by placing the L2 learners towards the front, they would benefit by being closer to the teacher, allowing for a better learning experience. However, I think that by being able to interact with the other students that the L2 learners would have an easier time learning the language as well as learning the culture. Although I think that it is important to allow students to verbally interact with each other, I also think that it is important that new students are able to feel as though as they are a part of the group; by having all of the L2 learners sitting close to each other, they would be able to get a better sense of community amongst themselves and not feel so different than the other students.
A lot of the practices observed in the article focused on individual practice as opposed to group learning/interaction. While I definitely think that it is good for someone to practice their new target language on their own, they also need to have interaction in order to pick up other social cues that they may not be able to get from a book. I also think that by interacting, L2 learners will be able to better understand the culture that they are surrounded by, making it easier for them to learn.
"Critical and dialogic teachers can address bullying by uncovering assumptions and attitudes towards those who come from different communities" (Wong 67).
I think that bullying is an issue that is overlooked when thinking about L2 learners. There are so many times when misconceptions and stereotypes rule student dialogue that L2 learners are often left feeling alone and outcast. By having the teachers be more understanding and knowledgeable of an L2 learner they may have in their class, they will be able to better prepare when/if student harassing/bullying is to occur. By being educated themselves, teachers will be able to also give their students a new perspective on their fellow classmates.
Your comment about disagreeing with the seating arrangement in the article was interesting. I never thought about the L2 learners forming a community if they sit next to each other. I guess that it would depend on what their other language is for each student. If all of the L2 learners in your class are Spanish, then putting them all together I don't think would encourage them to use English. However, in the case of the article where the learners didn't all have a common language other than English, then I feel that putting all of the L2 learners together would be a better choice. It would allow them to communicate with one other, create a community, and practice their English with peers who are also learning the language. You made a good point about them forming a community. I had not thought of this idea.
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