Abstract
Teaching English to young learners is an expanding reality worldwide. An increasing number of schools are offering English earlier in their curricula in Brazil, which makes it relevant to investigate the preparation of teachers to work in this scenario. Similarly to other contexts, it is either a subject teacher (English) or a class teacher (Pedagogy) who is responsible for the subject at schools, even though the necessary knowledge to work with children combines aspects from these two and other varied fields. Moreover, the Brazilian educational language policies do not explicitly mention teaching English to young children, since it is only mandatory from the sixth year of Elementary Education onwards. This paper is based on a PhD research that investigated teachers’ agency development to work in the scenario considering the challenges they face. Data was generated in group discussions with teachers from different parts of Brazil. Theory on teacher agency is combined with teachers’ conceptions and experiences. The aim was to understand the path taken by teachers who work in language education with children and their agency development. The results point to conceptions of agency as an individual process and also as a collaborative construction and emphasize what would be necessary to enhance agency development. Furthermore, listening to the voices of teachers who work in this context is fundamental to support the implementation of future policies that are effective and according to current needs.
Presenters
Ana Sara GalvaoStudent, PhD Researcher, Federal University of Espírito Santo, UFES, Brazil Claudia Kawachi Furlan
Professor, Languages and Literature Department (DLL), Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Teacher Agency; Teacher Education; Language Education with Children
