Aula 1 - ENSINO E APRENDIZAGEM DE INGLÊS COM LÍNGUA ESTRANGEIRA

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ENSINO E APRENDIZAGEM DE INGLÊS COM LÍNGUA ESTRANGEIRA 
Aula 1 – Introduction
A brief history of English language teaching in Brazil
While Brazil is now over 500 years old, we English teachers have about 200 years of teaching English in Brazil to celebrate.
In an age where you can find so many English schools in almost every city in Brazil, it makes you stop and wonder how all that came about.
When were the first large English schools opened? What were the first large English schools like? How did the system of chains of English schools originate?
Although the many reasons that brought about the current state of affairs are well documented, it is less known that many of the same forces were at work in the beginning of the nineteenth century.
We know, for example, that widespread interest in the English language appeared only when England became a major trading partner of Brazil in 1808. This was the year that brought Dom João VI to Brazil along with the entire royal entourage in his flight from Napoleon. And England had long been a trading partner of Portugal´s.
It didn´t take  long, therefore, for people to start being interested in learning English. We have this documented in the newspapers of the era. As it still is today, newspaper ads for English teachers were common. One such ad appeared in 1809, and this is the first document that gives us a glimpse of English teaching outside the regular school system.
This is the advertisement that appeared in the Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro on February 8  :
“Na Rua dos Ourives, nº 27, mora uma Ingleza com casa de educação para meninas que queiram aprender a  ler, escrever, contar, e falar Inglez e Portuguez, cozer e bordar, etc”.
The first North Americans to come to Brazil were probably missionaries who arrived in the 1830s. But it was only in the 1860s that a moderate number of Americans emigrated to Brazil. Most of these were farmers fleeing from the destruction of the South during the Civil War. Some of them were merchants or English teachers, as well as missionaries.
The old newspapers give us some details. From the Jornal Correio Paulistano, the following ad appeared on January 1, 1862: 
H. Lane, natural EUA prof. inglês aprovado pelo conselho de instrução publica suprema conselho de instrução publica do município do RJ onde há 3 anos exerce sua profissão com os melhores resultados em convergência do mau estado de sua saúde vem estabelecer se neste capital e abrirá nova aula de Inglês no principio do novo anno na rua do Imperador n.40. O annunciante se prontifica para dar as pessoas que frequentam sua aula no conhecimento teórico e pratico da língua inglesa isto é ensinará a traduzir e escrever e fallar corretamente.
And from the same teacher we have this ad from February of the same year:
H.M.Lane participa aos seus alunos que mudou a sua residência para a Rua de S. Bento, n. 9 onde continuará a receber alunos. Igualmente faz publlico que se promptifica a dar lição em casas particulares.
This H.M Lane is almost certainly the Horace Manley Lane that later was Dean of Mackenzie College for many years at the end of the century. He was also the merchant who brought Kerosene to Ouro Preto. Some time after 1862 he rented a warehouse in São Paulo where he stored his merchandise and where he rented out space on the upper floor for religious services (Prebysterian) and English classes.
And things continued along these lines for almost a hundred years. But there were two moments in our history which changed things irrevocably.
The first occurred in the 1930s when Brazil was viewed as a strategic point with regard to a possible war in Europe. With the growth of the Nazi regime the United States and Great Britain scrambled to insure that Brazil aligned with them against Germany.
Spreading the English language was seen by the governments of the U.S and Great Britain as a strategic necessity. So, the first binational school appeared in 1935.
It was the result of a deal between a private English school called Escola Paulista de Letras Inglesas and the British Consulate. The name was changed to Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Inglesa which is still Cultura Inglesa today.
In the lesson designed by Rubem Braga we notice that the teacher is convinced about her just cause. There are teaching methods that are satisfactory for some of the teachers most of the time, and there are methods that work for most of the teachers some of the time. But there is no method that is satisfactory for most of the teachers most of the time. Because teaching is an individual experience. 
In addition to language teaching methodology there are other factors that may be taken into consideration: fostering democracy, teaching children to work together, developing the individual´s thinking ability and creativity, promoting self-study, and so on. These have more to do with the development of personality than with actual language learning, although it may be felt that they are conducive to better learning.
There is an old Jewish folk tale about a couple that went to their rabbi for advice about their marital problems. After hearing the husband´s side, the rabbi said to him, “You are right.” The husband left the room pleased, and the wife entered. After he had heard her side, the rabbi said to her, “You are right” and she also left the room pleased. The rabbi´s disciple, who had been sitting next to him all the time, jumped up excitedly. “Rabbi, how could you do such a thing?” he exclaimed. “How could you tell the husband he was right, and then tell the wife that she was right?” “You know,” said the rabbi, “you are also right”.
Every teacher and learner has his/her own ideas about language learning. We would like to discuss some of these popular facts and opinions. (pdf impresso)
Here you can read a brief review of the book How languages are learned. This reading is mandatory to understand teaching methods and theories. 
LIGHTBOWN, Patsy; SPADA, Nina. How languages are learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. p. 135. 
“Lightbown and Spada wrote How Languages are Learned in order to provide information to second language teachers about second language acquisition (SLA) research findings and theoretical views. It was originally based on materials the authors developed for workshops with experienced classroom teachers. This orientation is obvious throughout the example- and activity-filled book”.
The book is brief, but covers the areas of SLA research that would be of interest to classroom teachers. It includes information about first and second language acquisition theories as well as information from classroom research. In addition, there is a chapter dealing with "popular ideas about language learning." The writing is clear and direct with a minimum of jargon.
Each chapter includes tasks for the reader to do. This interactive approach encourages the reader to draw on his/her own knowledge, experience, and opinions. This helps to make the information derived from research understandable for those unaccustomed to reading SLA research, and applicable to classroom teachers. Data from the authors' research is often included, followed by discussion and possible interpretations of the data. 
At the end of each chapter, there is a topical list of suggested readings. Complete references are given in a bibliography at the end of the book. There is also a glossary of terms at the end of the book, and terms included in the glossary are italicized throughout the book.
Chapters 1 and 2 provide overviews of theories of first and second language acquisition respectively. The theories and issues introduced here re-occur later in the book in discussions of learner characteristics, factors affecting acquisition, and classroom acquisition. For example, the behaviorist theory of language acquisition is introduced in chapter 1. In chapter 2, this same theory is discussed with reference to SLA. In chapter 4, the theory is not mentioned by name, but some of the tenetsof the theory are mentioned with respect to "learner language" (the title of chapter 4). In the final chapter, "Popular ideas about language learning: Facts and opinions," these ideas are discussed with reference to the other information presented in the book.
The recycling of these ideas and their reintroduction in conjunction with different topics makes the strengths and weaknesses of the theories clear without making the reader feel that there is needless repetition.
While Lightbown and Spada have simplified the theories somewhat to keep the explanation brief and easily understandable, they have done a good job of representing the different theoretical positions. [-1-] For each theory, they discuss strengths and weaknesses, and they include examples of data or summaries of research to support their statements. The only problem with the presentation is with the cutesy sub-titles: "Mom's the word: the interactionist position" and "Say what I say: the behaviorist position," for example.
Chapter 3, "Factors affecting second language acquisition," is a particularly good chapter. It begins with a task that asks the reader to rate a set of characteristics according to their degree of importance for a "good language learner." For example, it asks how important the characteristic "is a willing and accurate guesser" is, on a scale of 1-5. This is a good introduction to the topic for those who have not thought about learner characteristics. It is especially appropriate for classroom teachers who may have opinions about learner characteristics but are not familiar with the research on this topic.
The rest of the chapter discusses specific learner characteristics such as intelligence, learning styles, and age of acquisition with reference to specific research findings. The discussion includes clear and useful comments about the problems presented by different research methodologies.
 
The discussion on age is clear and well-developed, with a conclusion that specifically address the question "At what age should second language instruction begin?" -- a question that interests learners, parents, and teachers. 
One weak point in the chapter is the use of the term "communicative competence" without any explanation, definition, or reference in the chapter itself. There is a definition in the glossary at the end of the book; however, this definition does not refer to the literature on this term or note the controversy about its meaning and use. In the section on "Personality," the authors state, "Another explanation which has been offered for the mixed findings of personality studies is that personality variables may be a major factor only in the acquisition of 'communicative competence'" (p. 49).
Given the amount of discussion of this term in the literature and among teachers, it would be appropriate to at least refer the reader to articles which discuss it (Canale & Swain, 1980; Hornberger, 1989; Hymes, 1972; Savignon, 1983).
The chapter on second language acquisition in the classroom is the longest chapter in the book. Two classroom excerpts are included to represent a teacher using an audiolingual approach and one using a communicative approach. The characteristics of each class and how these characteristics fit the specified approach are then discussed.
This discussion helps to make clear what the authors mean by "a communicative approach" and "an audiolingual approach" within a classroom teaching situation. Following this, five "proposals" for classroom teaching are presented. Each proposal is related to a particular language learning theory; however, Lightbown and Spada do not claim that the classroom [-2-] teaching actually represents a particular theory.
In this way, they are able to look at the thorny issue of how language learning theories apply to classroom teaching situations. Each proposal is introduced with reference to the theory to which it most closely relates, an excerpt from a class lesson is given, and a discussion of research findings relevant to the proposal is presented; finally, the authors provide an interpretation of the research findings. For example, one of the proposals is labeled "Say what you mean and mean what you say." This proposal is related to an interactionist view of language learning.
Following several examples from classroom data, three research studies are presented: one on group work, one on interaction and comprehensibility, and one on learner language and proficiency level. In the section "Interpreting the research," Lightbown and Spada discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of this line of research. This type of presentation makes the theory more relevant to classroom language teachers.
The final chapter of the book presents some popular ideas about language learning and then summarizes the research related to that idea. This chapter acts as a summary to the book. It provides a nice balance to the introductory task which asks the reader to agree or disagree with statements such as "The most important factor in second language acquisition success is motivation" (p. xv). 
This same statement appears in the final chapter with a summary of the research on motivation. This encourages the reader to think about his/her own beliefs about language learning and about the ways in which the research addresses, or does not address, those beliefs.
Overall, the book succeeds admirably in presenting theoretical views and research findings to experienced language teachers. It acts as a kind of workshop-in-a-book. For other purposes, such as in MA TESOL programs, other books with more a more extensive discussion of the research (i.e. Ellis, 1994; Larsen-Freeman & Long, 1991) might be in order.
	1a Questão
	
	
	
	By 1966, there was an important spread of English language teaching all over Brazil. This was due to:
		
	
	a-      the new theories about foreign languages learning
	 
	a-      the arrival of foreign teachers in the country
	
	a-      Brazilian government incentives towards English learning
	 
	a-      the franchising system
	
	a-      the American movies presented in the country
	Ref.: 201602980438
		
	
	 2a Questão
	
	
	
	
	Mark the only sentence which expresses a myth about the English language learning:
		
	
	People who speak foreign languages are more likely to have better salaries.
	 
	Children learn second languages quickly and easily.
	
	English is an international language
	 
	Adults are more self-aware of their difficulties when studying grammar.
	
	English is taught in Brazil
	Ref.: 201602933809
		
	
	 3a Questão
	
	
	
	
	Which of the following is NOT an example of language handicap?
		
	
	stuttering
	
	aphasia
	
	deafness
	
	cleft palate
	 
	colour blindness
	Ref.: 201602980433
		
	
	 4a Questão
	
	
	
	
	Mark the sentence with the word which best completes the following sentence: Globalization and the status of English as a ----------language are affecting the teaching and learning of English worldwide
		
	
	strict
	 
	world
	
	special
	
	creative
	
	local
	Ref.: 201603352382
		
	
	 5a Questão
	
	
	
	
	We know that in 1808 there was a widespread interest in the English language in Brazil. That happened because England became a major--------------------------of Brazil in 1808.
		
	 
	a-      trading partner
	
	a-      language teaching center
	
	a-      branch
	
	a-      friend
	
	a-      touristic partner
	Ref.: 201602938299
		
	
	 6a Questão
	
	
	
	
	Which of the following skills are considered mostly receptive?
		
	
	Writing and listening.
	 
	Listening and reading.
	
	Writing and reading.
	
	Speaking and writing.
	 
	Speaking and reading.
	Ref.: 2016033039997a Questão
	
	
	
	
	Mark the only option which is not a consequence of studying English asa foreign language in a globalized world:
		
	
	the language is widespread around the world
	 
	english has the same prestige as French as foreign languages
	
	learning English also means participating in the country culture
	
	the status of teaching and learning is being affected
	
	we have to recognize that people learn English for different reasons
	Ref.: 201603352424
		
	
	 8a Questão
	
	
	
	
	There were two moments in Brazil which changed the way people viewed the English language in 1930 and 1935. They were:
		
	 
	a-      Brazil was viewed as a strategic point and as a strategic necessity with regard to a possible war in Europe.
	 
	a-      Brazil was viewed as a strong economical and educational force.
	
	a-      Brazil became a wonderful place for sightseeing and radical sports.
	
	a-      Brazil was viewed as a center for historical and biological studies.
	
	a-      Brazil offered both precious stones and wood.