Abstract
English school textbooks have a long tradition in the Brazilian public sector of education. Most often they are the only pedagogical resources in an English classroom. English public textbooks are submitted to a National Program for evaluation and this educational policy has had positive impacts on these materials. This article analyzes one of the units of a textbook series for teens that was approved in 2020. Our analysis focuses on the two “multis”, the multiliteracies pedagogy and the active role today’s learners play in learning. We also highlight some alternatives for improvements and give some suggestions for English teachers. The documentary research method within the qualitative paradigm supports our analysis. Our results show that the unit follows the principles of the two “multis” and the cycle of knowledge processes although its pedagogical design can be improved. Our analysis also reviews that much has yet to be done if we consider the responsibility students have to assume when learning.
Highlights
Throughout the years, textbooks have always had an essential place in English classrooms since it has been, a dictator of the contents that should be taught, but a good ally friend of the English teacher as well
The multiliteracies pedagogy is a “transformative paradigm of learning” with focus on learning for the contemporary age whose aim is to transform today’s learning environments and create learning for the future – learning environments which could be more relevant to a changing world, more effective in meeting community expectations and which manage educational resources more efficiently. (Kalantzis & Cope, 2010, p. 200)
The question is : who are the students of contemporary English classrooms? We ask this question that is fundamental when teaching them, writing texts and creating pedagogical resources oriented to their process of learning a(n) additional/foreign language
Summary
Throughout the years, textbooks have always had an essential place in English classrooms since it has been, a dictator of the contents that should be taught, but a good ally friend of the English teacher as well. Literacy pedagogy has not taken into consideration the prevailing semiotic landscapes of oral/written communications of the present era Their pioneering work stressed that a shift in literacy should be brought about with the notion of a theory of multiliteracies that could “fit in well with the view of social life and social subjects in fast-changing and culturally diverse societies” (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012, p.13) of today’s digital age. The impact of digital technologies on language communication and diversity within different social contexts made the NLG researchers (1996) realize that the two “multis” were necessary to broaden understanding of teaching and learning to account for the escalating changes in society. The multiliteracies pedagogy is a “transformative paradigm of learning” with focus on learning for the contemporary age whose aim is to transform today’s learning environments and create learning for the future – learning environments which could be more relevant to a changing world, more effective in meeting community expectations and which manage educational resources more efficiently. (Kalantzis & Cope, 2010, p. 200)
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