CLP in Action!

Doing Critical Language Teaching through Tasks: Insights from the Brazilian Context

Read this interesting research article that shows how CLP can be applied for teaching English. 

Abstract:

Although Brazilian governmental documents have conceived language teaching from a critical perspective, the recent scenario points to a backlash towards critical perspectives on teaching, which have been socially perceived as indoctrination. Since we understand critical pedagogy in additionallanguage classrooms as a necessary emancipatory perspective, this article aims at discussing possibilities for promoting critical language development. More specifically, it draws on two doctoralstudies in which teacher-researchers  implemented critical task cycles that aimed at promoting critical language development by fostering elementary and high school students’ reflections on gender issues. In both studies, tasks were developed to promote learners’ communicative and critical development following task-based principles. The comparison of the results, derived from the analysis of learners’ interactions during implementation, responses  questionnaires and interviews, and of the teacherresearchers’ self-report diaries, revealed not only the feasibility of teaching critically through tasks, but also the positive role of: (1) A critical needs-analysis in designing and implementing critical tasks; (2) the use of critical dialogue for fostering knowledge co-construction; (3) the development of final projects to challenge common-sense discourses. These findings indicate, thus, relevant principles for teaching critically through tasks, emphasizing possibilities and challenges for promoting social transformation.

Keywords: critical language pedagogy; task-based principles; additional language teaching; critical tasks

Answer the questions using the information from the article.

Social Justice in the English Classroom © 2024 by Tammy Fajardo Dack is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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