PUBLICHENGLISH TEACHERS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THEIR OPINIONS ON USING READERS IN CLASS

Abstract

This article aims at analysing critically the opinions expressed by Sao Paulo public English teachers about discussing readers in class. All the linguistic data were collected via a questionnaire after the end of a lesson in which their chosen readers had been discussed. Our analysis is grounded on the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), which places emphasis on the fact that learning occurs when individuals interact with each other through the use of language, as defended by Vygotsky ([1930] 1998), Leontiev (1977) e Engeström (2011). We then seek to link CHAT to the developments proposed by Engestrom (1987), placing emphasis on the collaborative nature of human activity and its relevance so we can understand organisational changes. The analysis in centered on the senses and meanings expressed by the participants with regards to the chosen lesson staging and delivery, and also with regards to which sort of theoretical background such lexical choices seem to reveal. Finally, we seek to verify whether or not there is any relevant hint at possible contradictions in the opinions expressed by the teachers.