Teach English in Liulin Zhen - Bazhong Shi

In such a vast country, several factors interfere in the completion or even attendance to education in a second language. There are many variables, both political and linguistic, to be considered and seen as milestones to get by in terms of learning. The educational system in Brazil has always been linked to political bias. Every four years since its independence, a different and miraculous new plan is launched, promising a solution for previous administration’s flaws. This has been historically proven along with each presidential term. About 25% of Brazilian people are officially illiterate (IBGE, 2000). Such data is even worse if compared to the international meaning of the terminology (since in this country’s context literacy is defined by the ability to write your full name and reading a piece of 50-word newspaper news). The percentage of citizens who have completed high school is 52%, and from those, only 17% go to college. It is a must to understand these logistics before entering the practical classroom aspects. With that said, it is reasonable to assume that the demand for professionals is way beyond its proportions, which leads companies, language courses, and regular schools to hire not only properly-graduated professionals but almost anyone with some experience in the English language. Such characteristics lead to a disaster in terms of teaching, meaning that hired teachers don’t necessarily have the background of theory and training to even speak advanced English when in contact with learners. The inaccuracy of language is exchanged by fluency, a dangerous process which might reinforce some language errors, making them fossilized into the learner’s progress. This context, in which the learner arrives at the classroom, has a huge impact on how he will behave or thrive in his learning process. In terms of language, some mistakes were frequent during my personal teaching experience. They could be grammatically, phonologically or orthographically originated, as well as in receptive or productive skills. Phonologically, Brazilians tend to mispronounce /θ/ (a not original Portuguese sound) and placing /ð/ instead, leading to confusions (SWAN, 2001 p115). Another very common mistake observed was the intrusive vowel between consonants, which is very common because in Portuguese the smallest unit of phonetic meaning must have a vowel (SWAN, 2001 p114). Grammatically, it was very common to learners naturally develop the use of the third person form in present simple tense, as well as not understanding differences in using state verbs with present progressive or present simple Also, since the perfect aspect isn’t modeled the same way as in Portuguese, it is very common for learners having a hard time understanding it and maybe even mixing it up with past simple tense expressions (SWAN, 2001 p119). In terms of orthography, learners would rather write double-lettered words with only one letter or have difficulty in understanding which words have a silent h in it (SWAN, 2001 p117). Finally, regarding receptive skills, there are some difficulties observed with false cognates and with listening lessons in general. In productive skills, teacher talking time interferes in long term student talking time, as well as courses’ structures who do not engage learners in oral expression. Brazil is a country with a lot of cultures and potential to grow. However, there has to be a strong and solid base to thrive in the path of teaching with quality of professionals and resources, as well as proper training to address the most common mistakes made by students. It is a big endeavor, but completely worth trying. Sources: 1. Specific Literacy Data on Brazilian learners -IBGE -Brazilian Institute of Statistics and geography - https://ww2.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/tendencia_demografica/tabela23.shtm -http://www.scielo.br/pdf/es/v23n81/13931.pdf 2. Swan, S. Learner English. CUP, 2001. 2nd edition 3. BBC: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-45470956