Representações da língua inglesa e da multimodalidade no ensino médio integrado: implicações para uma pedagogia de multiletramentos

Abstract

This work aims at identifying and analyzing the representation of the English language and of multimodality in technical education integrated to high school in order to investigate which discursive practices and modes of meaning (semiotic resources) are relevant to promote education that is consistent with current educational policies and the needs of participants of the context. The study was conducted considering the perspective of an official document called Base Document of Professional Education and the discourse of 52 graduates of the course of technical education in agriculture and livestock integrated to high school of the Farroupilha Federal Institute and of 11 supervisors who received these students for training between the years of 2012 and 2016 (5 years). In these texts, an analysis of the Processes, Participants and Circumstances (transitivity analysis - Ideational Metafunction – Systemic Functional Grammar) associated to the English language and to multimodality was carried out in order to identify the contributions of the English language and multimodality to the participation in the practices of the different spheres of life. The results of the analysis of the Document show a fertile alliance between the principles of technical education integrated to high school and multiliteracies, ensuring that it is relevant to adopt the perspective of multiliteracies in this context of teaching, since the Document, as well as the pedagogy, presuppose a multifaceted education, in order to promote literacies for “the new workplace”, for “public participation” and for “personal and community life”. The results of the analysis of the discourse of the graduates show that they recognize the English language as important, even those who have evaluated that it did not contribute directly to their personal or professional life. The graduates were able to indicate circumstances of contribution of the English language and predominantly actions enabled by their English language knowledge in a variety of contexts, especially for personal (listening to music) and professional (consuming and producing academic genres) life. As for multimodality, participants recognize a certain level of importance of the different semiotic modes in some genres, especially gestural modes of meaning to participate in conversations, and visual modes as a support for the written mode. However, the results also reveal lack of metalanguage to talk about multimodality. The supervisors recognize the importance of the English language for professional practice, especially in terms of access to scientific knowledge and international technologies. From a panorama of the contributions of the English language and of multimodality, it was possible to specify genres and modes of meaning that can be relevant to the professional and personal context. With this scenario, along with the needs of the institutions receiving high school graduates, it was possible to outline some principles for a teaching proposal that is consistent with the needs of the context and with the pedagogy of multiliteracies.