O trabalho docente com educação bilíngue na Paraíba: um estudo na ótica do interacionismo sociodiscursivo e da instrução ao sósia

Abstract

This qualitative research aimed at analyzing how two English language teachers interpret their work and their classroom environment in a bilingual municipal school located in the state of Paraíba. In light of that, this dissertation focused on (i) discussing the themes present in the teachers’ discourse during the sessions of Instruction to the double (IS, Instruction au sosie) and its relation to teacher practice; and on (ii) analyzing how the collaborating teachers interpret their work in the planned and real dimensions of the practice through and during the IS sessions as well as the during the interview about their Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI) results (COLLINS; PRATT, 2011). In order to do this, the research anchored on the paradigm of contemporary Applied Linguistics (CELANI, 2005; MOITA LOPES, 2006) and was conducted in accordance to the theoretical framework regarding teachers’ work (MACHADO, 2004), which, in turn, integrates the contributions of the Labor Sciences: of French Ergonomics (AMIGUES, 2004; SAUJAT, 2004) to highlight the constituent elements of the teachers’ work, the construction of a classroom environment and prescribed/planned and performed work; as well as of the Activity Clinic (CLOT, 1999/2007; 2010) regarding the IS method and the conception of real work. The text-discourse generated by the abovementioned methods are analyzed from the theoretical-methodological apparatus of the Sociodiscoursive Interactionism (ISD) (BRONCKART, 1999; 2006; 2008; 2015; MACHADO; BRONCKART, 2009), through categories of analysis based on their organizational (general plan) and enunciative (modalizations) levels. The thematic content evidenced in the texts-discourses is associated with the process of building a class environment, namely: (i) intentions, an aspect of real work; (ii) prescriptions and (iii) actions; with respect to the relationships and tensions present between what the teacher intends to do, what he/she should do and what is actually done. The analysis revealed an absence of prescriptions, which leads to an instrumental deficit (CLOT, 1999) responsible for weakening the bilingual work of the teachers (ABREU-TARDELLI; MACHADO, 2005). As a result of the absence of prescriptions and of the English language course structure (one teacher is responsible for the course dedicated to conversations (C1) and the other (C2) for the English language course for the main curriculum), it was possible to identify situations (i) which teachers transform into planned work; or (ii) that are represented in the dimension of real work. About the collaborating teachers, for C1, the textbook and the construction of a class environment have revealed to be elements that are strongly present in the teaching practice. In the other hand, for C2, the elements that are strongly linked to the bilingual teaching activity include: integrated planning, textbook and use of English language during the class, representing both planned and executed work. Regarding the dimension of real work, the identified elements for C1 include integrated planning and the use of English language during the class; and, for C2, the construction of a class environment. Thus, the results and analysis demonstrate how teachers deal with tensions capable of expanding or reducing the power of action (CLOT, 2010). To conclude, the representations of the collaborating teachers also made it possible to question the importance of specific guidelines for multi/plurilingual education, as well as specific training, the performance of other entities through partnerships – such as that of the US Embassy/Consulate – and the vision of language, like translanguaging, as an important aspect for multi/plurilingual education. As for the construction of class environment, I believe that further research on the relationship between teaching activity and prescriptions have much to contribute.