O processo do Design Thinking para o planejamento de tarefas criativas de produção oral em Iíngua inglesa

Abstract

The global expansion of English as a means of communication in different contexts highlights the importance of mastering this language in order to gain access to information and to personal, academic, and professional opportunities. In this context, oral production stands out as one of the most valued skills in the teaching and learning process, since it is a visible evidence of language acquisition. Therefore, the teaching practices of oral production cannot be decontextualized and reduced to drills; rather, they must be intentional and promote meaningful experiences that benefit the development of communicative competence. Such practices must allow teachers to use creativity to meet learner’s needs. A possible way to structure pedagogical practices tailored to educational needs would be through the Design Thinking approach. That being said, this research aimed at developing a pedagogical planning map, based on Design Thinking, for creative and meaningful tasks of oral production in English. To support it, the theoretical foundation constitutes of studies on teaching speaking (Goh; Burns, 2012; Ur, 2024; Willis, 2012), creativity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; Glaveanu, 2013, 2021), creative teaching (Beghetto, 2017; Maley; Kiss, 2018; Mitjáns Martínez, 2014a, 2014b; Starko, 2022; Torre, 2010), and Design Thinking (Brown, 2010; Doorley et. al., 2018). In addition, it is an applied research with a qualitative approach, divided into five stages based on Design Thinking. The first stage consisted of bibliographic research, and the application of a questionnaire to the potential target audience of the pedagogical map, in order to understand their needs. The second stage analyzed the previously collected data, articulating it to the theories, and identified the problem the map was intended to solve. The third stage involved a brainstorming to define the format of the pedagogical map, resulting in the choice of a spiral notebook, which was named Speaking Tasks by Design. The fourth stage involved organizing and writing the map’s content and instructions. Finally, the fifth stage carried out an evaluation process with a panel of experts, guided by previously established criteria. As a result, the experts gave the pedagogical map a positive evaluation, considering its suitability to the target audience, viability of application, and pertinence to the problem under investigation. The Speaking Tasks by Design pedagogical map is organized into five phases of creative task planning, each one containing instructions and resource suggestions to guide the teacher. It also includes theoretical background texts, reading suggestions, orientations for adapted use, and examples of tasks. As contributions, it includes fostering creative pedagogical practices in speaking teaching, encouraging reflection based on learners’ needs, nurturing teacher autonomy and authorship stance, and promoting pedagogical innovation. In conclusion, this research articulates theory and trends in contemporary education by proposing the teaching of oral production permeated by creativity. Furthermore, it contributes to address possible gaps in language teacher education by offering a practical, flexible, and adaptable educational product for the development of creative and meaningful pedagogical practices that move away from transmissive and rote memorization approaches.