Gramática em sala de aula: como fica o ensino de língua inglesa?

Abstract

How to introduce grammar in the classroom has been crucial in discussions about foreign language teaching. Traditionally, grammar instruction was limited to long explanations about linguistic structures and application of exercises. With the advance of research in the field of applied linguistics, new orientations have emerged about the teaching of grammar. From this perspective, the study of grammar is no longer restricted to know the structure of the language and organize meaningless sentences. It is necessary that linguistic forms are linked to the meaning they express and their communicative functions. Observing this change of paradigm, this study aims to investigate the perspective of two English language teachers in relation to grammar teaching, and verify if the action context influences the way the teachers deal with grammar in their classes. For this study, we conducted a qualitative ethnographic research, using the following data collection instruments: a) a questionnaire, in order to gather information about the teachers’ context of performance; b) an interview with a structured script, in order to investigate how informants understand the teaching of grammar and know the methodological approach adopted by them and c) Classroom observation, in order to verify how the teachers deal in practice with grammatical instruction. The study’s participants are two teachers acting in different classroom contexts, namely, a public school and a language institute. The results showed that certain assumptions concerning the discourse of the teachers diverge significantly from their teaching practice. They indicated the need to explore more consistently the meaning and communicative functions in English classes. The data also revealed that certain factors such as number of learners in the classroom, infrastructure, available time for classes and teachers’ autonomy, interfere in the procedures adopted by the teachers to conduct the teaching of grammar in these specific contexts.