Questões para Concursos

The paper reflects on the role of technology in English language teaching (ELT) methodologies and on the impact of globalization and internationalization in education in general and in the ELT in particular. The study is based on the assumption that access to information and technology is necessary to build social capital (WARSCHAUER, 2003) and that this access requires some English knowledge and digital literacy (FINARDI; PREBIANCA; MOMM, 2013). Departing from a bibliographic review on the use of ELT methodologies and the role of technologies in these methodologies, the study proposes that both the resistance to and the uncritical use of technologies and methodologies may bring negative consequences to the development of English language proficiency and social development in Brazil. The study concludes that in the post-method (BROWN, 2002; KUMARAVADIVELO, 2003) and information era (LEVY, 1999) technologies have a relevant and crucial role that should be critically considered in ELT methodologies. The study also suggests that the informed use of technologies and methodologies, allied with the teaching of English as an international language are essential to leverage the development and the internationalization of education in Brazil in a critical way in relation to the effects of globalization. (FINARDI, Kyria Rebecca; PORCINO, Maria Carolina. 2014. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer questions from. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was a 1970s reaction to much that had gone before, and has guiding principles: first, language is not just patterns of grammar with vocabulary items slotted in; it also involves language functions such as inviting, agreeing and disagreeing, suggesting, etc., which students should learn how to perform using a variety of language exponents (e.g. we can invite by saying “Would you like to come to the cinema?’, ‘D’you fancy coming to the cinema?’, ‘What about coming to the cinema?’, ‘How about a film?’, ‘Are you on for a film?, etc). Students also need to be aware of the need for appropriacy when talking and writing to people in terms of the kind of language they use (formal, informal, tentative, technical, etc). CLT is not just about the language; it is actually about how it is used. The second principle of Communicative Language Teaching is that if students get enough exposure to language, and opportunities for language use, and if they are motivated, then language learning will take care of itself. Thus, CLT has a lot in common with the acquisition view of language absorption. As a result, the focus of much CLT has been on students communicating real messages, and not just grammatically controlled language. The deployment of many communicative activities, where students use all and any language they know to communicate, shows this aspect of CLT at work. (Harmer, J. 1998. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer the question from. It happens that the publication of this edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary comes 250 years after the appearance of the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language, compiled by Samuel Johnson. Much has changed since then. The English that Johnson described in 1755 was relatively well defined, still essentially the national property of the British. Since then, it has dispersed and diversified, has been adopted and adapted as an international means of communication by communities all over the globe. English is now the name given to an immensely diverse variety of different usages. This obviously poses a problem of selection for the dictionary maker: which words are to be included in a dictionary, and thus granted recognition as more centrally or essentially English than the words that are left out? Johnson did not have to deal with such diversity, but he too was exercised with this question. In his Plan of an English Dictionary , published in 1747, he considers which words it is proper to include in his dictionary; whether ‘terms of particular professions’, for example, were eligible, particularly since many of them had been derived from other languages. ‘Of such words,’ he says, ‘all are not equally to be considered as parts of our language, for some of them are naturalized and incorporated, but others still continue aliens...’. Which words are deemed to be sufficiently naturalized or incorporated to count as ‘parts of our language’, ‘real’ or proper English, and thus worthy of inclusion in a dictionary of the language, remains, of course, a controversial matter. Interestingly enough, even for Johnson the status of a word in the language was not the only, nor indeed the most important consideration. For being alien did not itself disqualify words from inclusion; in a remark which has considerable current resonance he adds: ‘some seem necessary to be retained, because the purchaser of the dictionary will expect to find them’. And, crucially, the expectations that people have of a dictionary are based on what they want to use it for. What Johnson says of his own dictionary would apply very aptly to The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (OALD): ‘The value of a work must be estimated by its use: It is not enough that a dictionary delights the critic, unless at the same time it instructs the learner...’. (Widdowson, H. Hornby , A.S. 2010. Adaptado)

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão: A language function is a purpose you wish to achieve when you say or write something. If you say ‘I invite you’, you are performing the function of inviting. Of course you could also say ‘D’you want to come to the cinema?’ to make an invitation. There are many ways of inviting, apologising, agreeing, giving advice, asking for information etc. If our students want to express themselves in speaking or writing, they need to know to perform these functions – in other words, how to use grammar and vocabulary to express certain meanings/ purposes. (Jeremy Harmer. How to teach English , 1998. Adaptado)

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão: A language function is a purpose you wish to achieve when you say or write something. If you say ‘I invite you’, you are performing the function of inviting. Of course you could also say ‘D’you want to come to the cinema?’ to make an invitation. There are many ways of inviting, apologising, agreeing, giving advice, asking for information etc. If our students want to express themselves in speaking or writing, they need to know to perform these functions – in other words, how to use grammar and vocabulary to express certain meanings/ purposes. (Jeremy Harmer. How to teach English , 1998. Adaptado)

Read the text and answer question: A language ecosystem describes a holistic environment that encourages and extends the learning and application of language beyond the classroom. While an ecosystem is a simple concept, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here are quick tips to get you started. Tip #1. Go on language missions (gather and utilize resources). The concept of exploring is at the center of attention here for good reason. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to find and gather resources that are potential candidates for your language ecosystem. It is not unlike going shopping for furniture, in that you want to find items that will match your personal preference and lifestyle in a natural way. As you search for items to “add” to your ecosystem, you will want to consider how well they function in your life or home. You might be wondering how one begins a search to find resources. I primarily use search engines, social media, streaming video, and music to look for resources that might work. I am not the only one, however, who has learned to keep an eye out for resources. Since inviting many of my own friends to learn a language with me, many people now send me links to things I might like. Tip #2: Join a language-learning network Speaking of people, one of the most essential strategies in forming a language ecosystem is finding the right people to join you on your journey. I call this “forming a language learning network.” While fluent speakers are an excellent resource, I also find that fellow language learners, people who are learning the language just like me, are more patient conversation partners. Finally, I often find that people who share my same interests (say, French cooking, for example), can be excellent companions for listening and speaking practice. (Shane Dixon. The Language Learner Guidebook: Powerful Tools to Help You Conquer Any Language. Edição do Kindle. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer question: Language learning styles and strategies are among the main factors that help determine how – and how well – our students learn a second or foreign language. The term L2 is used in this text to refer to either a second or a foreign language, following the tradition in our field. Learning styles are the general approaches – global or analytic, auditory or visual – that students use in acquiring a new language or in learning any other subject. These styles are “the overall patterns that give general direction to learning behavior” (Cornett 1983, p. 9). Of great relevance is this statement: “Learning style is the biologically and developmentally imposed set of characteristics that make the same teaching method wonderful for some and terrible for others” (Dunn and Griggs 1988, p. 3). Learning strategies are defined as “specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques – such as seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult language task – used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella and Oxford 1992, p. 63). When the learner consciously chooses strategies that fit his or her learning style and the L2 task at hand, these strategies become a useful tool-kit for active, conscious, and purposeful self-regulation of learning. Learning strategies can be classified into six types: cognitive, metacognitive, memoryrelated, compensatory, affective, and social. (M. Celce-Murcia, 2001. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer question: Language learning styles and strategies are among the main factors that help determine how – and how well – our students learn a second or foreign language. The term L2 is used in this text to refer to either a second or a foreign language, following the tradition in our field. Learning styles are the general approaches – global or analytic, auditory or visual – that students use in acquiring a new language or in learning any other subject. These styles are “the overall patterns that give general direction to learning behavior” (Cornett 1983, p. 9). Of great relevance is this statement: “Learning style is the biologically and developmentally imposed set of characteristics that make the same teaching method wonderful for some and terrible for others” (Dunn and Griggs 1988, p. 3). Learning strategies are defined as “specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques – such as seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult language task – used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella and Oxford 1992, p. 63). When the learner consciously chooses strategies that fit his or her learning style and the L2 task at hand, these strategies become a useful tool-kit for active, conscious, and purposeful self-regulation of learning. Learning strategies can be classified into six types: cognitive, metacognitive, memoryrelated, compensatory, affective, and social. (M. Celce-Murcia, 2001. Adaptado)