Aprender inglês no ensino pré-escolar: um desafio à inovação pedagógica?

Universidade da Madeira

O papel da leitura nas aulas de inglês: uma análise segundo a percepção dos professores do ensino médio de escolas públicas estaduais de Natal

This dissertation aims at investigating the teachers beliefs about the role of the reading ability in English at public state high schools in Natal and identifying the social value of the process of learning English for students of a foreign language. From the understanding of studies on reading, both in the field of Cognitive Psychology, as in Gibson & Levin (1975), as in the area of Psycholinguistics, as in Goodman (1970) and Del Re (2006), We researched the teachers perceptions about the skills and competencies that should permeate their educational practices, through their knowledge about theories of language acquisition as Cognitivism (Piaget, 1961) and Social Interactionism (Vygotsky, 1979) and the official documents (PCNEM, 1999; PCN+, 2002 ) that are the parameters for teaching a foreign language. We took into consideration other factors that influence the choice of the goals and the objectives to be worked out, such as: intensity of teachers workload, number of classes and students per class for each teacher, materials and technologies available, among other factors that will play an important role in the choice of the appropriate methodologies. To conduct a case study, two questionnaires were used in the construction of direct interviews with fourteen English teachers in twenty schools. According to data on the teachers beliefs we could find that for them the reading ability does not seem to have an special treatment in the teaching of a foreign language due to factors that undermine this process and therefore make teachers do not realize the real objectives of teaching English at public state high schools in Natal. As a consequence, the current process of education complicates the formation of autonomous learners capable of fighting for a social transformation

Representações discentes sobre a afetividade nas aulas de inglês de uma escola técnica

This work has risen from the researcher s pedagogical practice at a technical school in Natal, and it aims to observ how affectiveness is noticed by the students in their English classes, since we can have an idea of technicist teaching, which foccus on the acquisition of technical abilities. As cognition and affectiveness are considered indivisible elements in this research, we tried to identify the linguistic signs that express the students representations about affectiveness in their English classes. We used the Systemic Functional Linguistics approach to study the Ideational metafunction of Halliday (1994), by means of the transitivity system, to show how the clauses are used to illustrate these representations, and the interpersonal metafunction, that deals with the relationship between the teacher and the students. We tried to identify the most common processes (HALLIDAY, 1994) mentioned by the 68 students who participated in this work. We used learning narratives (BARCELOS, 2006) submitted to Wordsmith Tools computing program (SCOTT, 2009), whose results indicate the most frequent lexical items found in their narratives. The lexical choices seem to indicate that affectiveness is noticed as a composing element of the English classes in that school. There are representations of interacting classes, where the students needs are considered. These representations are built in the relationship of the students and the teacher, and they are grammatically realized by means of the polarity adjunct no , the intensity adjunct very , and the nominal group the teacher . The relational and mental processes (be) and (like) are the most used in their narratives, and we also observe that affectiveness and disponibility to help the students are considered the most important attitudes in their representations. The Appraisal system is used to analise the choices related to the attitudes and judgement of the students, that show appreciation for interacting classes, but there is still authorithary berhavior from the teacher in the English classes

O portfólio na formação inicial do professor reflexivo de inglês como língua estrangeira: uma análise sistêmico-funcional

This research deals with the insertion of the portfolio as a resource to the development of the reflective action in training teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Its goal is to characterize linguistic marks that show the reflective process in learning narratives collected in portfolios following the considerations of the ideational metafunction of the Systemic-Functional Grammar (SFG) by Halliday (1994). Within the scope of analysis offered by SFG, the system of transitivity was chosen attempting to observe and study the lexicogrammatical choices made by participants to produce their learning narratives. The corpus was composed of twenty-six learning narratives produced by thirteen participants into two distinct modules, designated here as "First Assessment" and "Final Assessment. The analysis were performed using procedures related to Corpus Linguistics, with the aid of the computer resource WordSmith Tools 5.0 (Scott, 1999). The results seems to indicate that preservice teachers, when asked to reflect on activities written on the classroom, use in their narratives a significant majority of mental processes instead of material processes that are common in narratives from other nature. Meanwhile, the use of a portfolio in teacher training in EFL, can be considered as a trigger reflection tool, which allows future teachers' effective monitoring of all their learning process

Análise de necessidades de inglês para fins específicos em um curso de graduação em turismo

This study presents the results of a survey conducted in the area of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in order to identify (1) the learning needs of students in a course in Tourism, their desires and lacks, at a federal university, with respect to use of English; (2) the needs of the present situation of teachers and the coordinator of that course as to the language; (3) the needs of the target situation of professionals (graduates) and companies with respect to this language. This research is a case study (STAKE, 1998; YIN, 2009) and was used for data collection, instruments such as questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document on the Tourism Course. To this end, it was adopted the theoretical basis for the constructs of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Inglês para Fins Específicos (IFE) in Brazil, also known as Inglês Instrumental, whose foundation is based on the work by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Robinson (1991), Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998), Celani, Deyes, Holmes, Scott (2006), among others, since this work is devoted to a specific area, Tourism. Results show that students opined the ability to prioritize reading and speaking into the classroom. Professionals reported that the latter is an indispensable tool for entering the labor market, yet they feel unprepared and need to attend English language courses in private language schools. The testimony of company executives also point to this deficiency. Finally, the present situation of teachers reveals that, while advocating the use of English in the classroom, this is not because students prefer their mother tongue. There is also an evident lack of needs analysis. Eventually, the coordinator said that there is some uncertainty as to the methodology, content and language skills worked, and the lack of interaction among teachers of English. It was concluded, therefore, it is important to conduct a needs analysis so that one can redesign a course that meets the different contextual needs: students, teachers, coordination, represented by the institutional needs, and the labor market

Referências culturais e heterogeneidade discursiva :Uma proposta para o ensino-aprendizagem de língua inglesa

The purpose of this research is to approach the English literary text from the point of view of the culture and the heterogeneity of discourse in its role as a source of elements that facilitate the teaching/learning process of English as a foreign language. Several instances of discourse heterogeneity are analyzed through cultural references in the original texts of the following English novels: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), published in 1847; The Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot (1819-1890), published in 1860 and Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), published between 1860 and 1861. Theoretical support was sought in Kramsch, Bakhtin, Maingueneau, Authier-Revuz, Widdowson and Larsen-Freeman. Activities in English are proposed in the end whereby it can be seen that the questions at issue can be used extensively in the classroom.

O jogo de RPG como ferramenta auxiliar de aprendizagem na disciplina de Ciências

ON reflecting the traditional teaching approach, characterized by non-dynamic and descriptive methods that still persists in schools at the present time, associated to social living enrichment has motivated the search for new techniques to stimulate students in the process of teaching, such as roleplaying games, known as RPG, already being used in various school disciplines. Considering the amount of themes in general sciences and in biology, in particular that could be explored through RPG our purpose was to develop a game to be used as a learning complementary tool. PANGÉIA, the game we developed, was based on the GURPS system and to be placed at the geological Eras of the earth. The objective of the game was playing a character that represented an animal belonging to a Class of Vertebrates, and making it surviving and reproducing during risky situations presented in the game. These situations were narratives by the Master about challenges that the character would face, which should be solved using the dices. Along the narrative, the Master introduced concepts and informations about the subject being studied. To evaluating how the game worked out, we solicited 11 volunteers, from two different schools in Natal, to play PANGÉIA. Before starting the game, and without knowing the final objectives of our project, the volunteers answered a general questionnaire to let us know their level of knowledge, which was also answered after playing the game. The comparison of the volunteers answers before and after playing the game suggests that this activity influenced them. Also, based on this test, we identified critical aspects to be modified in PANGÉIA, specially a stronger relation between both the questionnaire and the game placement with the narrative of the master. In order to have PANGÉIA used as a complementary learning tool, a teachers handbook has to be written, including rules concerning the format of game application. Nonetheless, based on this pilot study, we conclude that topics on sciences and biology can be easily adjusted to RPG format, and its flexibility provides multiple combinations that can be used to help learning the more difficult topics to be taught in a class

Investigação da influência do cochilo na aprendizagem escolar

There is a known positive effect of nocturnal sleep for brain plasticity and the consolidation of declarative and procedural memories, as well as for the facilitation of insight in problem solving. However, a possible pro-mnemonic effect of daytime naps after learning is yet to be properly characterized. The goal of this project was to evaluate the influence of daytime naps on learning among elementary and middleschool students, measuring the one-day (acute), and semester-long (chronic) effects of post-learning naps on performance. In the Acute Day-Nap condition, the elementary students were exposed to a class and then randomly divided into three groups: Nap (N), Game-based English Class (GBEC) and Traditional English Class (TEC). There were 2 multiple-choice follow-up tests to evaluate students performance in the short and long runs. In the short run, the N group outperformed the other two groups; and such tendency was maintained in the long run. In the chronic condition, the middle-school students were randomly separated into two groups: Nap (N) and Class (C) and were observed during one academic term. The N group had increased school performance in relation to the C group. In the statistical analyses, independent t-tests were applied considering the scores significant when p<0,05, expressed in terms of average ± average standard error. Results can be interpreted as an indication that a single daytime nap opportunity is not enough to ensure learning benefits. Therefore, more research is needed in order to advocate in favor of a daytime nap as a pedagogical means of promoting enhanced school performance

Inglês para crianças do Ensino Fundamental: visões implícitas da avaliação proposta por um livro didático e as crenças dos professores

Este trabalho, de natureza qualitativa e de cunho etnográfico, tem como cenário um Projeto de Línguas Estrangeiras, implementado nos Ciclos 1 e 2 do Ensino Fundamental Público de uma cidade do interior paulista. O objetivo principal do estudo é investigar as visões implícitas da avaliação proposta pelo livro didático em uso no mencionado contexto de ensino, confrontando-as com a abordagem explícita do material acerca do processo avaliatório e com as crenças dos professores sobre a avaliação em foco. Para tanto, tomamos como referencial os princípios sociointeracionistas (Vygotsky, 1978) e comunicacionais (Almeida Filho, 1993, 2005) de linguagem e aprendizagem, assim como construtos referentes às crenças sobre ensino e aprendizagem de línguas (Barcelos, 1995, 2004a, b; Silva, 2005) e também referentes à avaliação (Scaramucci, 1997, 2004) no ensino de línguas para crianças (Cameron, 2001).

O gerenciamento do erro em aulas de inglês como língua estrangeira: um estudo com foco na produção oral

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de se investigar o gerenciamento do erro em aulas de inglês como língua estrangeira e suas implicações para o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. em sua primeira etapa, a investigação buscou (a) verificar como os participantes da pesquisa vivenciavam o erro e a correção, (b) descrever as principais características das interlínguas dos aprendizes naquele momento. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, desenvolveu-se uma proposta de intervenção e tratamento dos erros mais recorrentes, por meio da qual se pretendia implementar ações pedagógicas com foco na forma (FonF) que promovessem a negociação de determinados aspectos lingüísticos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas, questionários, gravações audiovisuais, observações das aulas, notas de campo transformadas em diários, sessões de visionamento com os aprendizes e de discussão com a professora participante, num processo cíclico e contínuo, a fim de se embasarem as decisões referentes ao processo interventivo. Verificou-se que os movimentos corretivos empregados para promover momentos de negociação da forma se mostraram uma importante ferramenta no tratamento dos erros por ajudarem os aprendizes a perceberem lacunas em suas interlínguas e a se esforçarem para refazer suas produções consideradas imprecisas. Nesse esforço, observou-se a importância do papel do professor ao fornecer os andaimes necessários para que cada aprendiz pudesse se monitorar. Considerou-se, também, a relevância do aspecto complementar entre os dois focos - foco na forma x foco na mensagem para o processo de ensino e aprendizagem de língua estrangeira por instrução.

Aquisição/aprendizagem de LE: subjetividade e deslocamentos identitários

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Um estudo comparativo de instrumentos e procedimentos na investigação de crenças de professores de inglês: foco na formação reflexiva

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo acústico da pronúncia de pares mínimos vocálicos do inglês por falantes nativos, professores brasileiros e alunos de nível intermediário e avançado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O ensino de lingua estrangeira (inglês): as relações entre as crenças e as práticas pedagógicas

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

O moodle como ferramenta na formação continuada de professores de inglês como língua estrangeira

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)