Experiências e percepções dos professores da educação infantil sobre o processo de ensino da língua inglesa na modalidade remota

Abstract

The present research aims to discuss the process of teaching English to children aged 3 years and over in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and teacher training strategies for this task. The research focused on the experiences and perceptions of teachers of Kindergarten and early years of Elementary School about the process of teaching English in remote learning in regular schools of the private sector located in the cities of Pato Branco and Francisco Beltrão, Paraná. Likewise, it seeks to reflect on the methodologies used by teachers who teach English to children, the knowledge is needed to teach English to this audience remotely, the kind of support received from the institutions the teachers worked for, as well as their feelings in relation to all these requirements. The methodology used is qualitative-interpretativist, and questionnaires were used as instruments for generating empirical data, based on the opinion of English teachers in early childhood education. The answers were analyzed in the light of English language teaching theories and national documents and guidelines on English language teaching and on remote learning. As theoretical support, we used the contributions of Saviani (2010) and Leffa (2012) in the discussion on the training of English language teachers in Brazil. Vygotsky (1978), Piaget (1972), Cameron (2001) and Brown (2000) are part of the theoretical framework on learning English in childhood. In order to reflect on remote learning, we used the contributions of Lemos (2013) and Rodrigues (2020), Fetterman and Tafariz (2021). According to the answers from the participants, it can be inferred that teaching English to children involves different aspects in relation to teaching to adult audiences and it is the teacher's duty to know them in order to develop a better job. Therefore, the constant development of the teacher who aims to work with this audience is essential. During remote education, all previous prerogatives were reaffirmed, and there was a need for children to study English, even in times of pandemic. When asked about the efficiency of remote learning as a possibility after the pandemic, the teachers affirmed the need for frequent face-to-face moments combined with these, as social interaction brings countless benefits to the child's development.