Questões de Concursos Língua Inglesa

For years, research into the best instructional approaches for students identified as English learners has pointed to the concept of translanguaging.

Identified by bilingual education researcher Ofelia García, it’s both a skill set and a total shift in the way language is thought of, used, and taught in K-12 classrooms where multiple languages are honored and addressed, even as English remains the dominant language of instruction, said Marybelle Marrero-Colon, the associate director of professional development for the Center for Applied Linguistics.

Researchers are looking into how it can be applied to formal assessments, such as state standardized tests on which English learners might struggle to demonstrate their academic proficiency because they are tested in an unfamiliar language.

Translanguaging is the ability to move fluidly between languages and a pedagogical approach to teaching in which teachers support this ability.

In translanguaging, students are able to think in multiple languages simultaneously and use their home language as a vehicle to learn academic English.

A student could be reading an article about the solar system in English, but in their brain, they are also thinking and making connections in Spanish. They might annotate in Spanish or first write down reading comprehension responses in Spanish and then figure out how to provide the responses in English, said MarreroColon. […]

Teachers can engage in a variety of activities that deliberately encourage translanguaging, ranging from providing vocabulary in multiple languages to collaborative translation opportunities. The goal is to get students translanguaging as a practice that can be leveraged toward supporting literacy outcomes and engagement, as well as other academic endeavors.

For example, two students could be assigned to solve a word problem, and one might be stuck on a word in English. The two students can then use an equivalent word in their home language to make sense of what the word problem is asking of them, Phillips Galloway said.

Or in group activities, students can be prompted to share with the rest of the class how something taught in English would make sense in Spanish by highlighting similar and different grammatical structures between the two languages, Marrero-Colon said.

“When you translate, you don’t have to do it word for word. You’re really trying to capture the feeling of that text,” MarreroColon said.

Once teachers start doing these activities, research has found that students who have not spoken before start speaking and students who were not as engaged in text-comprehension activities suddenly are, she added. That's occurring because they are being encouraged to use their home language in class to think about language use overall.

Adapted from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-translanguagingand-how-is-it-used-in-the-classroom/2023/07

Stanford linguists and psychologists study how language is interpreted by people. Even the slightest differences in language use can correspond with biased beliefs of the speakers, according to research.

One study showed that a relatively harmless sentence, such as “girls are as good as boys at math,” can subtly perpetuate sexist stereotypes. Because of the statement’s grammatical structure, it implies that being good at math is more common or natural for boys than girls, the researchers said.

Language can play a big role in how we and others perceive the world, and linguists work to discover what words and phrases can influence us, unknowingly.

Source: https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/08/the-power-of-language-howwords-shape-people-culture

Developing literacy skills in a foreign language can begin as early as foreign language instruction begins. Although some EFL programs delay literacy instruction for young learners and only focus on oral language development, studies have shown that it is not necessary, or even recommended, to take this approach. First, it is widely known that literacy skills in the native or first language (L1) can be transferred to reading and writing in a foreign language, such as English. Remember that “One only has to become ‘literate’ once” (Shin and Crandall, 2014, p. 160), so English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers can tap into students’ understanding of print and strategies for making meaning from text that originate in their L1 as a starting point for building literacy in English. Even further, research supports that literacy skills can be transferred bidirectionally—that is, both ways between L1 and L2—and the language of initial literacy does not necessarily need to be the L1. Even preschool-age children who are not yet literate in their L1 can still engage in early literacy activities that build reading readiness and phonemic awareness. Teachers can read big books with print aloud and use songs and rhymes to focus on the sounds of English. They can also engage students in writing readiness exercises like tracing, connecting the dots, and coloring. These are fun and effective activities for building early literacy with young EFL learners.

Although EFL teachers usually have limited time in class, sometimes only 3–5 hours a week, they should incorporate literacy instruction and not just oral skills development for young learners, especially because learning to read is also proven to assist in oral language development.[…] If students progress faster when reading is part of language instruction, EFL teachers of young learners should use a curriculum that integrates all four language skills and provides a balanced approach to literacy instruction.

Note: Shin, J. K., & Crandall, J. A. (2014). Teaching Young Learners English: From Theory to Practice. Boston: National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning.

Agatha Christie is one of the rare writers who has completely transcended pop culture to become a more or less permanent fixture in the literary filament. Most authors — even best-selling authors who won awards and enjoyed huge sales of their books — fade away shortly after they die, their work falling out of fashion. A favorite example is George Barr McCutcheon, who had several bestsellers in the early 20th century — including "Brewster’s Millions," which has been adapted to film seven times — and was quite the literary star. A hundred years later, few people know his name, and if they know the title of his most famous work, it’s probably because of Richard Pryor.

But Christie is something else entirely. [...] Christie’s works are protected from the sort of rot that makes most non-literary classics fade from the public mind, of course, because they are generally quite clever, and the mysteries they describe and solve are crimes and schemes that could still be attempted today despite the march of time and technology. That makes Christie’s stories very adaptable, and indeed they are still adapting her most famous novels for television and film. Whether as period pieces or with effortless updates, these stories remain the gold standard for a “whodunnit.” On top of that, despite being a writer of paperback mysteries, a traditionally low-rent genre, Christie injected a certain thrilling literary adventure into her writing, ignoring the rules quite often and setting new standards [...].

And that’s likely the reason for Christie’s continued popularity. Despite writing what could have been tossed-off novels that sold like hotcakes and were then forgotten, Christie managed a perfect balance between intelligent artistry and the red meat of surprise twists, sudden reveals, and convoluted murder plots. Tha t literary intelligence, in fact, means that there’s a lot more than just clues to the mystery at hand in Christie’s stories — in fact, there are clues to Agatha Christie herself hidden in her prose.

(Adapted from: https://www.thoughtco.com/agatha-christie-secrets-4137763)

Read Text I and answer question.

Text I

Stat: Young Americans have been securing the bag since the pandemic, largely thanks to their portfolios popping off. The combined wealth of adults under forty has shot up 80% since 2019, compared to 10% for people 40–54 and 30% for the over-55 set, according to economists at the New York Fed. That’s in part because they were poorer than their elders to start with, so they got more Covid stimulus cash that they put into stocks, which have since had a good run. But money from stocks leaves young people exposed to a volatile asset, since the market…doesn’t always go up.

(Source: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/issues/slime-bowl)

Read Text II and answer question

In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released a report titled Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations. The department had conducted listening sessions in 2022 with more than 700 people, including educators and parents, to gauge their views on AI. The report noted that “constituents believe that action is required now in order to get ahead of the expected increase of AI in education technology – and they want to roll up their sleeves and start working together.” People expressed anxiety about “future potential risks” with AI but also felt that “AI may enable achieving educational priorities in better ways, at scale, and with lower costs.

AI could serve – or is already serving – in several teachingand-learning roles, for instance: instructional assistants: AI’s ability to conduct human-like conversations opens up possibilities for adaptive tutoring or instructional assistants that can help explain difficult concepts to students. AI-based feedback systems can offer constructive critiques on student writing, which can help students fine-tune their writing skills. Some research also suggests certain kinds of prompts can help children generate more fruitful questions about learning. AI models might also support customized learning for students with disabilities and provide translation for English language learners; and teaching assistants: AI might tackle some of the administrative tasks that keep teachers from investing more time with their peers or students. Early uses include automated routine tasks such as drafting lesson plans, creating differentiated materials, designing worksheets, developing quizzes, and exploring ways of explaining complicated academic materials. AI can also provide educators with recommendations to meet student needs and help teachers reflect, plan, and improve their practice.

Along with these potential benefits come some difficult challenges and risks the education community must navigate. For example, both teachers and students face the risk of becoming overly reliant on AI-driven technology. For students, this could stifle learning, especially the development of critical thinking. This challenge extends to educators as well. While AI can expedite lesson-plan generation, speed does not equate to quality. Teachers may be tempted to accept the initial AI-generated content rather than devote time to reviewing and refining it for optimal educational value.

In light of these challenges, the Department of Education has stressed the importance of keeping “humans in the loop” when using AI, particularly when the output might be used to inform a decision. As the department encouraged in its 2023 report, teachers, learners, and others need to retain their agency. AI cannot “replace a teacher, a guardian, or an education leader as the custodian of their students’ learning,” the report stressed.

Adapted from: https://www.educationnext.org/a-i-in-education-leap-into-new-eramachine-intelligence-carries-risks-challenges-promises/

For years, research into the best instructional approaches for students identified as English learners has pointed to the concept of translanguaging.

Identified by bilingual education researcher Ofelia García, it’s both a skill set and a total shift in the way language is thought of, used, and taught in K-12 classrooms where multiple languages are honored and addressed, even as English remains the dominant language of instruction, said Marybelle Marrero-Colon, the associate director of professional development for the Center for Applied Linguistics.

Researchers are looking into how it can be applied to formal assessments, such as state standardized tests on which English learners might struggle to demonstrate their academic proficiency because they are tested in an unfamiliar language.

Translanguaging is the ability to move fluidly between languages and a pedagogical approach to teaching in which teachers support this ability.

In translanguaging, students are able to think in multiple languages simultaneously and use their home language as a vehicle to learn academic English.

A student could be reading an article about the solar system in English, but in their brain, they are also thinking and making connections in Spanish. They might annotate in Spanish or first write down reading comprehension responses in Spanish and then figure out how to provide the responses in English, said MarreroColon. […]

Teachers can engage in a variety of activities that deliberately encourage translanguaging, ranging from providing vocabulary in multiple languages to collaborative translation opportunities. The goal is to get students translanguaging as a practice that can be leveraged toward supporting literacy outcomes and engagement, as well as other academic endeavors.

For example, two students could be assigned to solve a word problem, and one might be stuck on a word in English. The two students can then use an equivalent word in their home language to make sense of what the word problem is asking of them, Phillips Galloway said.

Or in group activities, students can be prompted to share with the rest of the class how something taught in English would make sense in Spanish by highlighting similar and different grammatical structures between the two languages, Marrero-Colon said.

“When you translate, you don’t have to do it word for word. You’re really trying to capture the feeling of that text,” MarreroColon said.

Once teachers start doing these activities, research has found that students who have not spoken before start speaking and students who were not as engaged in text-comprehension activities suddenly are, she added. That's occurring because they are being encouraged to use their home language in class to think about language use overall.

Adapted from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-translanguagingand-how-is-it-used-in-the-classroom/2023/07

Text 1

Streaming services have revolutionized the entertainment industry, playing an important role in attracting young people for movies and television series. The availability of streaming services such as NetFlix, Amazon, Apple TV and other platforms have drastically reduced traditional television viewing. Because of the availability of the shows at any time, youth are used to “marathoning”, resulting in a single session watching complete seasons of different shows in one sitting.

Streaming watching has helped the youth to increase their knowledge about various cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, which has helped in improving their overall understanding of the world. However, this has also led to exposure to inappropriate content, resulting in parental monitoring of the content viewed.

The present research has identified that streaming services have beneficial effects on the media literacy of the youth. Nevertheless, the exposure to inadequate content needs to be monitored, so that the beneficial aspects of streaming viewing outweigh the harm it might cause.

Available at: 10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.946. Access 28 Nov. 2024.