CAN PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE TEACHING PRESENT A SOCIOLINGUISTICALLY ORIENTED APPROACH? AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BNCC AND THE (LACK OF) MAINTENANCE OF ACHIEVED SOCIAL RIGHTS

Abstract

Educational Sociolinguistics, as a field of knowledge, studies the relationship between linguistic variation, society, and language teaching, offering relevant contributions to teacher training and the school environment. However, educational policies, such as the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), have not fully followed this field’s guidelines. The BNCC, which guides the curriculum for Basic Education and teacher training, has problems stemming from its context of formulation and the influence of organizations such as the World Bank and UNESCO, such as: i) its focus on the Pedagogy of Competencies, which limits individuals’ access to knowledge historically accumulated by societies; ii) its curricular reorganization by subject areas, disregarding traditional disciplinary fields; and iii) the use of "rhetorical traps"and "empty signifiers"to promote the BNCC as an educational advance, but which, in
practice, undermines the comprehensive education of students. In light of the above, this study aimed to analyze how the BNCC actually acts against the guarantee and maintenance of hard-won social rights by undermining and streamlining the development of individuals through the aforementioned strategies. To this end, a qualitative documentary analysis was conducted of the BNCC for Secondary Education in Portuguese Language (PL), searching for the descriptors (critical literacy), prejudice(s), discrimination(s), social justice, and others, in order to identify the document’s approach. The results indicate that, although the BNCC mentions the importance of recognizing linguistic and social diversity and combating prejudice, this approach is sporadic and does not permeate the document fully. Linguistic variation, for example, is treated marginally and should be explored more broadly in PL classes. Therefore, it is concluded that, to build a Culturally Sensitive Pedagogy that respects linguistic and social diversity, it is essential to rethink pedagogical practices and review current educational policies.