Prática exploratória: gerando entendimentos acerca da vida em sala de aula com uma turma de EJA e seu professor

Abstract

In the present dissertation, I aim to understand to what extent Exploratory Practice can mobilize people to reflect on the process of learning a foreign language in order to make it more meaningful. To this end, I sought to understand the perspective of English language learners of Educação para Jovens e Adultos (Youth and Adult Education group) and their teacher about life in the classroom when they have the opportunity to reflect. I seek to understand the teaching-learning process of that language for this group and the influences the reflective process may have in the construction of beliefs (BARCELOS, 2006) about language learning and about learning itself. To develop this study, theories that deal with second language learning were initially approached to understand the role of aspects related to beliefs (BARCELOS, 2006) and forms of interaction (ALLWRIGHT, 2009) in this process. Thus, this work is inscribed in the area of Applied Linguistics (SCHMITT; CELCE-MURCIA, 2002), with Exploratory Practice (ALLWRIGHT, 2003; 2008) being the theoretical-methodological approach that shapes it. Therefore, I adopted the positioning of Exploratory Practice in dialogue with Qualitative Research (CHIZZOTTI, 2003) in order to generate data with the students and their teacher and produce a reflective process that promotes mutual development on the issues that are the focus of the investigation. Exploratory Practice makes it possible to approach the puzzle or question to be investigated (MILLER, 2010) and to discuss with the participants issues related to the teaching-learning process. PEPAs, “Potentially Exploitable Pedagogic Activities” (MILLER, 2012; HANKS, 2017), can be conducted as a tool to understand the students' perspective in relation to their own classes. It is worth clarifying that I understand such activities in the light of what Allwright (2003a, apud MILLER, 2012) guides as a joint work to generate understandings of relevant issues for those involved. Mutual development would be associated with the act of “planning to understand” (MILLER, 2012) in order to generate opportunities for deeper understandings for participants. In this perspective, reflection, mapping of beliefs and perceptions about the investigated issues is provided. Although this study aims at building local understandings (MORAES BEZERRA, 2007), it can help teachers in the area of English language teaching to reflect on their practices, as well as encourage them to listen to their students and look more in tune with them when teachers encounter teaching situations in which they do not have the learning feedback they expect from them.