Centros de aprendizagem: transdisciplinaridade na educação bilíngue

Abstract

This work aims to study the theoretical-epistemological and methodological basis of the learning centers (LC) in bilingual education (Portuguese / English). Dividing the classroom in LCs - in an interdisciplinary perspective of arrangement and execution of the school curriculum - aims to make the teaching and learning process more dynamic for learners. Although LCs are used by various schools in elementary and secondary education in Brazil (and abroad, originally), only Bennie (1977) discusses its foundations, and is therefore a subject lacking bibliographic material. In this context, this research started from the following core research questions: What are the theoretical-epistemological and methodological references that underlie LCs? From this framework, how can we think of it in a transdisciplinary (and not more interdisciplinary) perspective in greater congruence with the Multiple Intelligences Theory? (GARDNER, 1995) The research was developed from the qualitative-interpretative approach (BORTONI-RICARDO, 2008), with the main objective of analyzing and discuss the historical context of LC's grounding. The specific objectives listed were: a) discussing LCs from an inter and transdisciplinary perspective; b) suggesting that LCs are an approach, method, technique and / or methodology of language teaching. The research involved two institutions of the private education network with proposals for bilingual education, one from Ponta Grossa / PR and the other from Bauru / SP. Regarding the schools, the research data were obtained through a questionnaire sent to the teachers and coordinators; and an e-mail sent to a bilingual international consultancy. We used Content Analysis (BARDIN, 2011) for data analysis and treatment. As a result of the research, we found out that LCs constitute a technique (ANTHONY, 1963) based on the assumptions of the New School with important authors of this movement (such as Dewey, Teixeira, Decroly and Montessori) and (Steiner's) Waldorf Pedagogy. Furthermore, they contain in their assumptions basic links with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory and with the transdisciplinary vision in the educational process (NICOLESCU, 2000; MORIN, 2009; SANTOS, 2009). Although the LC technique is more commonly used in an interdisciplinary way, it is more consistent in keeping with the transdisciplinary principle of education, a way of understanding knowledge, starting from the phenomenon and understanding the educational process as a network of connections.