PROS AND CONS OF TEACHING THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE: THE GAP BETWEEN DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING MATERIALS

Abstract

This article identifies and discusses the conceptions of language found in teaching materials designed for Portuguese language instruction in the early grades of elementary school. We analyzed the content, the concepts presented in the teaching materials, the conceptions of language, and the acquisition of written language based on the assumptions of Bakhtin’s dialogic perspective (2009). We began with the following question: What conceptions of language are present in teaching materials for the early grades of elementary school? In this qualitative bibliographic and documentary study, we accessed the article catalog of the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) Brazil. We investigated online publications using open data from the São Paulo State Department of Education, where digital materials are available, covering the period from 2014 to 2023. As a temporal criterion, we selected the last decade, which highlights changes in the organization of the material. The research indicated that these resources can be relevant when grounded in a solid linguistic conception, as they impact pedagogical practice, the relationship between students and teachers, and the consolidation of knowledge in the teaching and learning process. We concluded that the divergence between teaching perspectives constitutes a step backward in the educational landscape, moving away from abstract objectivism and idealistic subjectivism, and that the supporting materials are reductionist in nature.