Peer-learning Spaces: A Staple in English Language Learners' Tool Kit for Developing Language and Literacy

Abstract

Children from linguistically and culturally diverse homes are faced with the ongoing challenge of performing well academically. Research suggests that children perform better when academic tasks are meaningful and culturally relevant. This study examines the ways in which English language learners claim their home and peer cultures in the classroom's unofficial space in order to create written texts that are meaningful. In our study, we found that within peer-learning spaces for writing, children asked for clarification, information, and task content, and this interaction helped them to produce written artifacts. This qualitative study suggests the need to plan peer-learning spaces for children to interact in during writing, which foster and advance their understanding of classroom writing practices. Peer-learning spaces allow teachers to encourage dialogue that weaves multiple home resources into school discourses.

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