A prática pedagógica no letramento bilíngue de jovens e adultos surdos

This study focuses on the practice of literacy pedagogy for deaf youths and adults who grew up linguistically isolated and are belatedly learning Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and written Portuguese language. The study draws on sociolinguistic assumptions on first language teaching and rests on the concept of culturally responsive pedagogy (ERICKSON, 1987), particularly with regard to the analysis of written and oral productions that include student historicity and their specificities as multilingual speakers (HYMES, 1976). The deaf are considered a linguistic minority group for their socio-anthropological characteristics (SKLIAR, 1988). The pedagogical practice is analyzed under two aspects: how teachers teach and how the students learn. In this study an ethnographic approach was employed in classes exclusively for the deaf. Ethnographic microanalyses were carried out to identify, within the pedagogical and discursive resources adopted by the teachers, the cultural variability of the deaf, characterized by sign language and the values associated to it, as well as the adequacy of these resources to the visual specialization of the students. Student learning is analyzed through their production – mainly their oral production – in which their sociolinguistic background constitutes an important category for understanding the way in which they relate to the Portuguese language. The results show that the pedagogical practice in bilingual education of the deaf still lacks consolidated methodological proposals recognized and adopted by most teachers. The results also show that the analysis of the pedagogical practice cannot focus solely on the teacher, but should consider the concurrent practices that constitute the conditions for their action, such as training opportunities and organizational aspects of the school and the educational system. Within the classroom practices context, this study highlights the need for teachers to master Libras, the cultural values and the unique knowledge construction process of the deaf as a linguistic group.