Considerations about English literacy practices in a public school

Abstract

This paper aims to observe if there is a consonance between the perceptions of the non-school literacy practices of the students of a public school and what is offered by the school regarding the English subject, seeking to investigate: (a) to what extent the school literacy valued in this scenario dialogues with the way students use the language in their social practices; (b) to what extent the greater or lesser approximation between school and non-school literacy can impact learning process. In order to do so, we used the theoretical framework of the New Literature Studies (STREET, 1984, 2014). (ROJO, 2009). Through classroom observation for six months, application of questionnaires and interviews with the students and the teacher in charge, we examined the students' literacy events and practices as well as how this is related to what is offered by the school in the English subject. It was found that, although the students have rich and diversified experiences with the language in their daily life, there is dissonance regarding their literacy in social life and what is privileged in the English Class at school.