Personal Space Differences:
Am I too close?
How close, physically talking, can a teacher get to a student in a classroom? What level of formality or informality would be acceptable? How to manage differences regarding personal space when students from different cultural backgrounds work in pairs or groups?
These are excellent questions to ponder when teaching students who have different values regarding personal space. The concept of personal space will differ according to the place the person belongs. There are places where people lack personal space and, for them, it's not a big deal. In other places, personal space has to be respected if individuals desire to be accepted by the community.
In one of his talkings about cross-cultural differences, John J. Ivers Professor of Languages and International Studies at BYU-Idaho (0 Personal Space Differences, 2015) mentioned that in Mexico it is ok having a little gentle elbowing and pushing to get in the bus, or when trying to get the attention of a clerk. These actions would be considered a violation of personal space in the United States.
People can infer different conclusions from the short or long distance we keep from others. Let's contrast the following two cultures: North American a Brazilian, regarding personal space.
According to the information published at Westsidetoastmasters.com (Body Language - Personal Space Ownership, n.d.) people from places North America, Northern Europe, or countries where the culture is "westernized" have a rule for personal space. They divide their personal space into four zone distances that go from the closer to the most distant personal space. They are the intimate zone, for close people as family, the friend zone for personal conversations, the social zone for strangers, and the public zone for public speaking. When these zone limits are not respected, people feel very annoyed and uncomfortable, there is a reaction of rejection towards the infraction.
On the other hand, In Brazil, the sense of personal space is completely different. Most people tend to stand and talk closer to everyone in all kinds of social situations. There is a lot of touching during conversations with friends, acquaintances or, even strangers!. When in a line, Brazilians get close enough to read what people are reading, overhear their conversations, and even more, make part of it, giving hints or information (that were not asked). They are not being rude or nosy, instead, they are helpful and friendly. It's cultural.
Brazilian sense of personal space can be a little offensive for North Americans, and Northern Europeans. On the other hand, Brazilians may not understand why they would get offended. It is a huge plate of misunderstandings!!!
To avoid confusion that the contrast of cultures like above can bring when together, is mandatory to get to know students' cultures regarding personal space for teaching in a multicultural classroom. The more we, as teachers, get to know the students' values, the better we will be able to understand their actions and reactions. Avoiding any personal disagreement, group misunderstandings, we can promote a place for learning and sharing, full of respect and tolerance.
References
05 Personal Space Differences. (2015, March 12). BYU-Idaho - Ivers Video; TESOL 378. https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Personal+Space+Differences/0_yz4lk5f0
Body Language - Personal Space Ownership. (n.d.). Https://Westsidetoastmasters.Com/. Retrieved May 29, 2021, from https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap9.html
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