I want to repeat a point made in the last article here. It is a point that I feel is among the most important points we have every made over the ten years we have been sharing ideas here. The sentence below in bold is one of crucial importance – in my own mind at least – as we look forward to the coming academic year. To speak honestly, I think that the lack of attention to the one sentence in bold below is at the core of the failure of TPRS. The real problem, as we conclude this series on un tissu langagier, is not about pedagogy, nor even so much about NT vs. T. The real problem is about equity and how we respond to the problem of building community in our CI classrooms. I am very much looking forward to the Cascadia Conference in Portland that starts on the 26th of this month. It is the only summer conference that has brought in a highly qualified team (Tina did that) to discuss the real problem in our work with CI – equity and inclusion of the students in the classroom process:
Function sociale de la conversation.
La conversation constitue un tissu langagier grâce auquel les membres d’une communauté non seulement communiquent quotidiennement, mais encore assurent leur appartenance au groupe. La conversation a une fonction intégrative, elle assure la cohésion entre les membres d’un groupe, mais aussi une fonction différenciative, elle manifeste par son absence l’exclusion de ceux qui n’appartiennent pas au groupe. Par la conversation, l’individu construit sa face sociale, mesure son insertion dans la société.
Social function of conversation.
Conversation is made up of a language tissue that allows members of a community to communicate on a daily basis but also one that assures their place in the group. Conversation therefore has an integrative function, it assures cohesion between the members of a group, but it also has a differentiating function, because when it is absent those not in the group are excluded. Thus, it is through conversation that the individual constructs his social persona and measures his place in society.