STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING BRAZILIAN SIGN LANGUAGE (LIBRAS) AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TO HEARING STUDENTS: EXPERIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE AMAZON

Abstract

This article analyzes the teaching of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) as a second language (L2) for hearing students in the Pedagogy program at the Federal University of Western Pará, located in the Amazon region of Pará. The study presents a pedagogical experience developed through the implementation of a Didactic Sequence (DS) structured into ten lesson plans, integrating the teaching of Libras with elements of Amazonian culture, such as legends, fauna, colors, and regional narratives. The research adopts a qualitative and intervention-based approach and was conducted during a teaching internship. It is grounded in communicative perspectives of language teaching, in dialogue with authors such as Gesser (2009), Martinez (2009), and Albres (2013; 2016). The results indicate that the DS fostered narrative production in Libras, expanding language use beyond the mechanical memorization of isolated signs and promoting shifts in how students understand deafness, Libras, and the Amazon itself. It is concluded that contextualized teaching, combined with the appreciation of the Amazonian territory and the mediation of a deaf teacher, contributes to a more inclusive, culturally situated, and linguistically meaningful education.