Text genres as basic units for L1 curricula
Submitted by:
Glais Sales Cordeiro
Abstract:
In several countries, text genres have become basic units of L1 curriculum construction (Rose & Martin, 2012; Schneuwly & Cordeiro, 2016). In our communication, we will present a systematic comparison of the curricula of four countries or regions where this is the case:
- Brazil: Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais - Língua Portuguesa - 5ª a 8ª séries do Ensino Fundamental ; and their realization in the state of São Paulo ;
- Québec: Progression dans l’enseignement du français langue première au secondaire : Répartition des genres textuels, des notions, des stratégies et des procédures à enseigner de la 1re à la 5e secondaire ; Progression des apprentissages au secondaire. Français langue d’enseignement.
- French Speaking Switzerland: Plan d’études romand; Enseignement / Apprentissage du français en Suisse romande. Orientations.
- North South Wales: English K-6 Syllabus ; English Years 7-10 Syllabus
For each curriculum we answer the following questions:
1. What parts of the L1 curriculum are organized following the unit of text genres?
2. Are there links between different parts where text genres are the construction units
3. How are text genres defined?
4. What are the underlying theoretical constructs of text genre?
There are common features, among the necessary didactic transposition that is realized in “didactic models of genre” one finds in all approaches. The choice of genres also is quite convergent. But the unit itself of “genre”, depending in the reference theory, is not defined on the same level: it is more general in the Australian approach as it is in the three others. This leads to partially different ways of defining the aspects of genres that are mentioned in the curricula.
References
Schneuwly, B. & Sales Cordeiro, G. (2015). Le genre de texte comme objet d’enseignement – Comparaison de deux approches didactiques. In D. Vrijdag & G. Sales Cordeiro (Ed.), Genres de textes. Namur : Presses universitaires de Namur.
Rose, D. & Martin, J.R. (2012). Learning to write, reading to learn. Genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the Sydney School. Sheffield : Equinox.