Teaching Portuguese as an Additional Language and Academic Writing: The Co-Construction of Multicultural Identities in Telecollaboration Activities between Brazil and Canada
Teaching Portuguese as an Additional Language and Academic Writing: The Co-Construction of Multicultural Identities in Telecollaboration Activities between Brazil and Canada

Author(s): Cátia Martins, Samuel Figueira-Cardoso, Fernanda de Abreu Reiff
Subject(s): Foreign languages learning, Sociolinguistics, Stylistics
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: academic writing; identity; multiculturalism; learning path; textual genres
Summary/Abstract: Teaching Portuguese as an Additional Language (PAL) in multicultural contexts presents both a challenge of learning a new language and an opportunity to employ methodologies for teaching academic writing. In this chapter, we discuss the methodological principles underlying the telecollaboration activities and learning paths used in our approach. These activities facilitated intercultural interactions and experiences with various academic genres among the participating student groups. The telecollaboration between Brazil and Canada promoted multilingualism, which was instrumental in fostering both linguistic and cultural development. Digital tools played a crucial role in enhancing academic writing skills, contributing to the formation of intercultural identities. One of the primary challenges in teaching PAL was helping students navigate the complexities of academic writing in a non-native language. This required not only developing linguistic proficiency but also gaining a deep understanding of academic discourse, which is often shaped by cultural specificities. The use of appropriate educational resources and materials was essential in this process, as was the incorporation of digital tools and technologies that supported the development of academic writing skills in PAL. The chapter concludes with reflections on issues that recent research on academic writing has not extensively explored, particularly methodologies that integrate telecollaboration, identity, intercultural issues, and the production of various written genres. These reflections highlight the challenges faced by PAL instructors in teaching academic writing within the theoretical and methodological frameworks presented in this chapter, aiming to promote a more comprehensive view of education in global contexts.

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