Although Brazilian governmental documents have conceived language teaching from a critical perspective, the recent scenario points to a backlash towards critical perspectives on teaching, which have been socially perceived as indoctrination. Since we understand critical pedagogy in additional language classrooms as a necessary emancipatory perspective, this article aims at discussing possibilities for promoting critical language development. More specifically, it draws on two doctoral studies in which teacher-researchers implemented critical task cycles that aimed at promoting critical language development by fostering elementary and high school students’ reflections on gender issues. In both studies, tasks were developed to promote learners’ communicative and critical development following task-based principles. The comparison of the results, derived from the analysis of learners’ interactions during implementation, responses to questionnaires and interviews, and of the teacher-researchers’ self-report diaries, revealed not only the feasibility of teaching critically through tasks, but also the positive role of: (1) A critical needs-analysis in designing and implementing critical tasks; (2) the use of critical dialogue for fostering knowledge co-construction; (3) the development of final projects to challenge common-sense discourses. These findings indicate, thus, relevant principles for teaching critically through tasks, emphasizing possibilities and challenges for promoting social transformation.

Based on the premise that teaching is a political act and that it is thus necessary to engage additional language students in the process of both linguistic and critical development (Crookes, 2013), this study aims at investigating the role of the teacher during the implementation of a cycle of tasks designed from the perspectives of the Task-based Approach (Ellis, 2003) and of Critical Pedagogy (Freire, 1996). According to Breen (2009), a task can be understood as a workplan which is modified and reinterpreted during its implementation. Samuda (2009) argues that one of the central roles of the teacher in task-based language teaching is to guide students in language processing so as to cater for linguistic development. In this sense, it is important to investigate the task as a process, that is, the strategies adopted by the teacher while implementing the task as a workplan. In order to do so, this study focuses on the reflexive diaries of the teacher-researcher, in which he describes and reflects upon the implementation of a critical cycle of tasks designed for a group of high school students in a Brazilian context. From the thematic analysis of the diaries, the theme ‘strategies’ could be identified, which demonstrates decisions that were taken by the teacher-researcher during implementation so as to: a) guarantee that the critical objective of the task would be met, b) guide the students’ attention to a specific topic (such as focus on form or the critical topic at hand), c) overcome technical and material difficulties and d) facilitate students’ learning process. The complexity involved in the implementation process of tasks designed from a critical perspective suggests the need for teachers to develop their critical reflexive skills in order to be able to make decisions that will be adequate for each specific educational context.

In times marked by sociopolitical crises around the globe, language learning has not been immune to the consequences of neoliberalism. Communicative approaches, for instance, seem to address a privileged type of learner who is middle-class and internationally driven. Moreover, discourses that reinforce a hegemonic (and colonialist) perspective of English in Brazil are still commonplace. In this chapter, we argue for the need to develop localized strategies that will account for the specificities of each learning context. We claim that for TESOL in the Brazilian context to be actually committed to social transformation, it is paramount that we approach language development theories from a critical lens with a focus on the sociopolitical and educational contexts in the country. We present the concept of critical tasks as an example of a pedagogical movement in which task-based language teaching theories (mostly produced in the Global North) have been appropriated and recontextualized from the perspective of Freirean critical pedagogy so as to promote language development that is responsive to the needs and challenges of Brazilian education. We hope to demonstrate the importance of recuperating educational theory in TESOL – in Brazil and elsewhere – and to contribute to the development of locally produced epistemologies and praxis.

Estima-se que, nos últimos 10 anos, houve um aumento de 24,4% no número anual de imigrantes registrados em território brasileiro (SANIELE, 2021). Independente das razões econômicas, políticas e sociais que levam à migração, pode-se afirmar que o ensino da língua portuguesa surge como uma importante ferramenta para que imigrantes e refugiados possam buscar novas oportunidades de emprego, de estudo, e de socialização como um todo. Tendo em vista este contexto, o presente artigo tem por objetivo discutir a importância de uma perspectiva crítica para o ensino de português para imigrantes e refugiados no Brasil. Mais especificamente, partimos da discussão do conceito de português como língua de acolhimento (LOPEZ; DINIZ, 2018) para defender a importância de uma educação linguística pautada na justiça social. Apresentamos, portanto, os preceitos e fundamentos da pedagogia crítica (FREIRE, 2005) e da pedagogia crítica para ensino de línguas (CROOKES, 2013) como possibilidades para um fazer pedagógico que ressignifique o ensino de língua portuguesa de forma a evitar a reprodução de práticas colonialistas e impositivas de ensino. Por meio de uma análise crítica das necessidades de imigrantes e refugiados no sul do Brasil (MARCELINO, 2020), destacamos que o ensino de português deve partir da realidade e das necessidades dos estudantes e também promover encontros interculturais que valorizem suas identidades, histórias e conhecimentos.

Considerando a importância de reconhecer o aspecto político-ideológico inerente ao ensino-aprendizagem de inglês, este estudo busca investigar de que forma a língua inglesa é concebida na Base Nacional Comum Curricular - BNCC (BRASIL, 2017). Mais especificamente, pretende-se analisar se o ensino da língua inglesa preconizado na BNCC objetiva promover a conscientização crítica (FREIRE, 1970) de forma a contribuir com a formação de cidadãos que possam agir em seus contextos tendo em vista a justiça social, conforme postulado pela Pedagogia Crítica (FREIRE, 1970; CROOKES, 2013) e conforme enfatizado pelos documentos educacionais anteriores. Para tanto, analisa-se o documento da BNCC finalizado no ano de 2017 e, mais especificamente, as seções que dizem respeito à língua inglesa no Ensino Fundamental. Trata-se, portanto, de uma pesquisa de ordem qualitativa, baseada na análise documental, a luz da teoria da Pedagogia Crítica (FREIRE, 1970; GIROUX, 1983; SHOR, 1992) e do Ensino de Inglês Crítico (CROOKES, 2013; PESSOA, 2014). A análise empreendida aponta que o documento da Base parece sugerir uma visão crítica com relação ao papel da língua inglesa (ao enfatizar seu status como língua franca, sua pluralidade e a valorização de seus diferentes registros), mas não verdadeiramente problematiza (ou discute como fazê-lo) de um viés crítico. Ainda, falha em apresentar definições claras para tais conceitos, explorando ideais de cidadania, tais como equidade e igualdade, de forma limitada e insuficiente. No que tange a questões político-sociais mais amplas, identifica-se um apagamento dos problemas sociais, que não são apresentados enquanto objeto de estudo da unidade curricular.