Abstract
In this edition of the Brazilian English Language Teaching (BELT) Journal, our focus turns once again to our traditional theme of teaching and learning English as an additional language. In this brief introduction, we would like to highlight the Brazilian context and reality, a central aspect of the scope of our journal. While we have no intention of providing a comprehensive overview by any means, we hope to touch upon some recurring themes in recent literature, which are also represented in the selection of articles showcased in the current edition. These themes include: (i) the role of the Brazilian sociocultural, political and institutional contexts in the language teaching and learning process; (ii) contemporary theories and the Brazilian context; and (iii) aspects of curriculum development in Brazil. These topics will be considered in turn in the respective sections below. Before moving forward, we would like to present a clarification on our use of the term ‘additional language’, not only in this editorial, but in all publications by members of the research group UPLA (Uso e Processamento de Lingua Adicional) at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Our decision reflects our agreement with the position expressed by Judd et al. (2001) in a document that is part of an ‘Educational practices series’ published by the International Academy of Education and the International Bureau of Education, institutes associated to Porto Alegre, January-June 2015, v. 6, n. 1, p. 1-11 : http://dx.doi.org/10.15448/2178-3640.2015.1.20751 ISSn 2178-3640
Highlights
In this edition of the Brazilian English Language Teaching (BELT) Journal, our focus turns once again to our traditional theme of teaching and learning English as an additional language
Before moving forward, we would like to present a clarification on our use of the term ‘additional language’, in this editorial, but in all publications by members of the research group UPLA (Uso e Processamento de Língua Adicional) at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
We discuss contemporary theories of language teaching, learning and research and how they relate to the Brazilian context
Summary
In this edition of the Brazilian English Language Teaching (BELT) Journal, our focus turns once again to our traditional theme of teaching and learning English as an additional language. The four skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing – are proposed to be practiced while considering the social reality of the learners To this end, the topics suggested for learning and practicing the foreign language include: citizenship, diversity, equality, social justice, (inter)dependence, conflicts, values and regional and national differences (Brasil, 1998, 2008). The topics suggested for learning and practicing the foreign language include: citizenship, diversity, equality, social justice, (inter)dependence, conflicts, values and regional and national differences (Brasil, 1998, 2008) Given this perspective, teacher training would ideally involve cultural and linguistic knowledge of the target language, but an awareness and sensitivity to the potential conflicts that may arise in the incorporation and accommodation of this new knowledge in light of the sociocultural and political issues of the learning context. We discuss contemporary theories of language teaching, learning and research and how they relate to the Brazilian context
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