Unidades didáticas para o ensino de inglês: rainsing awareness of diversity and equality

Abstract

Raising Awareness of Diversity and Equality is an academic work developed as part of the English Teaching Specialization Course (CEI) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Inspired by a passion for teaching and the need to update his pedagogical practices, the author recognized the importance of addressing diverse social and cultural issues through language teaching. This work is the result of reflections and discussions throughout the course and represents an attempt to put into practice a vision of teaching English as a foreign language. The work consists of two teaching units that focus on everyday themes and promote debates on social issues, based on Critical Literacy and Communicative Language Teaching approaches. The themes addressed include gender, religion, same-sex parenting, equal pay, and racial and sexual prejudices. The units are intended for students in regular schools aged 14 to 17 with an intermediate B1 level of English proficiency, but they can also be adapted for adult learners. Each unit follows a similar structure, divided into sections such as "Time to reflect!", "Time to speak!", "Time to write!" and "Time to listen!". The units use authentic materials and encourage cooperative work to promote collaboration and interconnected understanding of language learning. Additionally, each unit is accompanied by a Teacher’s Guide, which includes suggestions, answers, tips, and extra resources. This work aims to inspire and motivate students to learn English in a meaningful and critical way, incorporating substantial content. The discussions resulting from the proposed interactions in the units aim to engage and encourage students' proactivity. This material is intended for educational purposes only and cannot be commercialized without permission.