Itinerários de Escrita: mediação do desenvolvimento de capacidades linguístico-discursivas na produção textual

Abstract

This term paper presents action research implemented in the context of the Residência Docente program offered by Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. This scholarship undertakes the propositions of Socio-discursive Interactionism (BRONCKART, 2006) for language teaching. We also assume a processual approach to writing (PASSARELLI, 2012). The perception of students’ needs of further development of linguistic-discursive capacities (CRISTOVÃO; STUTZ, 2011) on Portuguese lessons in a teacher training school led to the implementation of the action research. To tackle the problem, an extracurricular writing project was created. The project, called Itinerários de Escrita (Pathways for Writing) offered practical lessons for writing improvement to middle school students. It was based on a didactic sequence (DOLZ, SCHNEUWLY E NOVERRAZ, 2004) structure. The final piece of writing required by the teachers was a mystery tale (in the shape of “whodunit” stories). The tales written by stunts were published in the cards of a board game called “Dark mysteries in João XXIII”, which was also a product of this scholarship. The aims of the research were: (i) to analyse the expansion of the school’s set of instruments to develop linguistic-discursive capacities in writing, considering interactionist socio-discursive propositions for language teaching; (ii) to investigate the development of replicable methodology for linguistic-discursive capacities development; (iii) to investigate the development of students’ linguistic-discursive capacities; (iv) to investigate the development of a writer’s attitude among students. The fourth aim was added during the accomplishment of the project, due to perception that many of the students’ problems required more conscious use of language and self-monitoring processes. To meet the aims, two pedagogical devices were used: monitored writing (SANTOS, 2015) and mediated revision. Mediated revision was developed within Itinerários de Escrita. The impacts of such activities in students’ writing was examined through analysis of four specific linguistic-discursive capacities in their texts, produced before and after the activities. The analysis showed progress in the four capacities under study. The association between this analysis and teacher’s made possible to observe that the previously mentioned writer’s attitude was adopted by students. Therefore, we argue that monitored writing and mediated revision helped students to develop linguistic-discursive capacities and to improve their conscience regarding the writing process. When discussing mediated revision, we observe that the teacher must be aware that difficulties apparently related to linguistic-discursive capacities are actually due to lack of self-monitoring and text revision. Besides highlighting the improvement in students’ writing, the discussion of monitored writing production and mediated revision in this paper allows other teachers to adapt and propose these activities in their own practice. Furthermore, the board game “Dark mysteries in João XXIII” can be used by other teachers as well. Considering the aspects discussed here, it is possible to say that the scholarship’s aims were accomplished.