Nome: Helio Paulino Cardoso
Idade: não informado
Escolaridade: não informado
Tempo de aprendizagem: não informado
The reason I´m such a believer in the Communicative Approach is that I am a product of it. I learned English in the most natural way possible for an adult. Although there was no regularity in the process, the Communicative Approch can be easily seen at work.
I studied English in the Brazilian schools, which we know is often not good. That was the case with me, so I can honestly say that I knew next to nothing when I moved to America. Living in the city of Boston I had to learn the language in order to survive. There Brazilians around who helped me at first, but that changed quickly when I moved to Marlboro and then Tulsa.
I´ve never been in a classroom to learn English but I had hundreds of teachers. Virtually every American or Brazilian who knew more than me and with whom I came into contact was my teacher. I asked questions all the time and had a bilingual dictionary in my jacket pocket at all times. I also kept a list of words which I had difficulty remembering so that I wouldn´t have to look them up again.
My exposure to the language was pretty much the way Communicative Approach teachers try to expose students in the classroom: natural settings, real situations and everyday language and seldom using translation (especially after moving to Tulsa where I had no contact with Brazilians).
Just as the Communicative Approach preaches I learned everything, from grammar to idioms and phrasal verbs, using them in real life settings.
In the classroom I try to duplicate this, especially in the last few years because I´ve been studying the theory behind the Communicative Approach and learning some fundamental aspects of it. I have discovered that I used it instinctively but know I know the reason behind the activities. I believe that the quality of our classes must improve at all times and that´s the reason I continue to study.