Portuguese language lessons: Perceptions of students and teachers

Abstract

Much has been published and discussed on the teaching of grammar in the Portuguese language classroom in Brazil, but the results of research carried out at the university do not seem to be known by the school community. This study aims to examine to what extent the knowledge produced in Linguistics is applied in the classroom, and how it is perceived by students. To that end, we interviewed students from four classes of state schools in Porto Alegre, RS. We also interviewed the teachers of these Portuguese classes and attended classes of each of these teachers with the group of students involved in the research. Data analysis shows that advances in the field of theoretical Linguistics, especially concerning alternative practices in the classroom, are not perceived by students. Teachers, in their turn, do not incorporate this knowledge to their practice, repeating the same teaching that they have always been accustomed to; or when seeking to depart from lessons focused on grammar, some of them promote activities to discuss issues without adequate preparation and without defined objectives. The results, even being related to a given social reality, indicate the following regarding the academic knowledge which proposes alternatives to the teaching of Portuguese: it is necessary to promote the joint construction of new practices in the classroom.

Key words: students’ voices, teaching of Portuguese, teaching of grammar, classroom practices, contributions of Linguistics.