S.O.S. – Stimulate Our Skills: guia de estratégias didáticas criativas para o ensino e aprendizagem na licenciatura em letras-língua inglesa

Abstract

Recent researches state that students entering Higher Education, in undergraduate courses in English Language courses, show difficulties in developing productive skills – speaking and writing. Therefore, this research started from the following focus question: How can we assist students of undergraduate courses in English Language in the development of linguistic skills of speaking and writing in English, through creative didactic activities, based on studies on Active Learning Methodologies and the Communicative Approach? Hence, the general objective outlined was the development of S.O.S. – Stimulate Our Skills, a guide of creative teaching activities to help teachers of undergraduate courses in English Language to foster the development of productive language skills in English in their students, using creative teaching strategies based on Active Learning Methodologies and the Communicative Approach. To this end, I studied theorists and researchers such as Torre (2002), Veit (2017), Lacerda and Santos (2018), Filatro and Cavalcanti (2018), Leal, Miranda and Casa Nova (2019) and Moran (2020), concerning Active Learning Methodologies, and Bygate (1987), Brown (2001), Nunan (2003), Cook (2008), Abreu (2009), Quisen (2015) and Oliveira (2019), on teaching and learning processes of English Language. Regarding the research methodology adopted, it is possible to classify it as a mixed approach, in relation to data collection, and as an applied research, when taking into account the level of investigation. In terms of research objectives, it is considered as descriptive of opinion (ABRANTES, 2007). Among the procedures adopted during the research, there was a participant observation in the English Language II course, offered by the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages, at the Federal University of Pará, where two creative didactic activities that served as a basis for the development of the other components of the product were tested. As a result, it was observed that even though the traditional teaching methodology is still adopted in some contexts of teaching and learning of English Language in Higher Education, active learning methodologies and creative didactic strategies can contribute to a better interaction between students, fostering autonomy and collaborative learning. In this sense, the proposed educational product has the potential to promote meaningful learning and the development of productive language skills in students of an English Language course.