Pedagogical principles and objectives of the project

The idea of conceiving this teaching approach to language learning departed from our awareness that the pedagogical and the cultural potentiality of foreign language classes (in this case, English, German and Portuguese) was being underestimated by several textbooks and also by some teachers. If one reads the aims and pedagogical foundations advanced in the guidelines for language subjects settled by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, one will realise that language classes should play an active role in the education of young people as citizens. According to the general aims of the English syllabus (and I am referring to the aims that go beyond learning the language and that are mainly related to the personal development of the students), these classes should be a place where students are able to build up their personality, understand what it means to live in society and explore significant issues of the contemporary world. Let us read the introductory text to the English syllabus; there it is stated that:

A language is a potential space of expression of the Self, a space that facilitates the relationship between people and stimulates social interaction. As a determinant factor of socialization and of personal self-esteem, a language gives one that means to develop the consciousness of oneself and to understand the others, to translate attitudes and values, to have access to knowledge and to demonstrate one's skills and abilities. (translated from Programas de Inglês, 1997: 5)

What is said about English classes is assumed in the syllabus of other foreign languages. Still according to the same text, English language teachers are expected to help students achieve pedagogical aims such as:

.to combine the language competence with the student's personal and social development;
.to make multidisciplinary approaches possible;
.to promote the understanding and the respect for socially and culturally differentiated universes;
.to emphasise the social and the cultural dimension of language.
.to explore aspects of the Anglo-American culture, reflecting on the different patterns of life and social behaviour. (Translated from Programa de Inglês, 1997: 5-6)

One distinctive feature of the approach that is developed in this project lies in the articulation of pedagogical principles such as education for citizenship, human values and critical thinking with the use of art and literature in foreign language classes. This means that, despite the fact that learning the language is the main objective of these classes - and this fact must never be forgotten or underestimated -, they should play a more active role in the process of building up the personality of young people and of helping them to become responsible, critical citizens. The guidelines of the Ministry of Education stress the idea that the constructive practice of citizenship should be promoted in foreign language classes.
Bearing this in mind, our teaching approach is carried out with the use of motivating and culturally rich materials (literary texts, paintings, art photos and music), which enable the students to acquire a cultural, historical and social knowledge of the world they live in, in order to reflect on important issues of the present days, such as globalization, the power of the media, working conditions, the respect for the Other, tolerance and intolerance or consumerism. This means that in our project the education of students - i.e., the upbringing of conscientious, open-minded citizens - is as important as (and should be entwined with) learning facts and mastering language skills and grammar.
Thus, this project is informed by the theories and ideas of Education for Citizenship (Ichilov, 1998; Pearce and Hallgarten, 2000); but it is also influenced by the principles of Critical Pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 1997). The main objective of the former is to help students become active, constructive members of society. Although it is not possible to teach young people how to become good citizens, it is possible to stimulate good social practices and to promote civic responsibility by inviting them to think what it means to live in a community, how important it is to defend our (and other people's) rights and respect our duties.
One may ask how citizenship can be a content of foreign language classes. In this project different issues related to this theme are introduced in class and articulated with the work on language skills and on grammar contents. Thus, students read literary texts (along with non-literary texts), analyse paintings and discuss social and civic issues in the language they are learning. A more detailed account of these activities will be presented further on.
On the other hand, the present teaching approach is influenced by the ideas of Critical Pedagogy, although the role played by this education theory is not as central as that played by Education for Citizenship. The emphasis that Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux and other advocats of Critical Pedagogy place on the development of the students' critical awareness and social consciousness in the learning process is an important principle that guides our work. We also follow the "critical pedagogues" in defending the need to discuss and reflect on the social issues, as a means to allow students to build their personal worldview. We believe that this is a path that will enable them to develop an informed, critical perspective of reality and to understand and be sensitive to the problems of those who surround them. Thus, this is a way of promoting the spirit of solidarity and tolerance among students and the belief that they can contribute to build a better world.
Intercultural Education (Woodrow, 1997; Miranda, 2004) also plays a central role in this approach. In our foreign language classes students studied the way of life and cultural patterns of their society and then compared it to cultural patterns and customs of other societies and civilizations. The purpose was not only to understand different ways of living and of seeing the world, but also to develop an attitude of cultural relativism and tolerance.
We are now prepared to sum up the main aims of this project, which are:

.to improve the students' ability to use the English language, by mastering the four language skills and understanding how the language works;
.to contribute to the development of the students' personality;
.to promote values such as tolerance, justice, solidarity and respect towards the Other;
.to develop the students' critical consciousness concerning issues of the contemporary world (racism, social injustice, consumerism, the power of the media, etc.);
.to expand the students' cultural knowledge;
.to promote the students' interest in art in its different forms of expression: literature, painting, sculpture, photography, music, etc.