ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING FROM AN INTERCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE: PATHWAYS AND CHALLENGES

ABSTRACT This article aims to discuss the importance of intercultural language teaching (BYRAM, 2008; SIQUEIRA, 2008, 2013; KRAMSCH, 2001) in school education based on analysis of the responses of sophomore students from Pandiá Calógeras State School, which is located in the municipality of São Gonçalo - RJ. In the second semester of 2017, through a listening exercise designed by the teacher, these students had contact with varieties that represent two distinct types of English, that is, the hegemonic model, which was represented by a North American speaker, and the non-hegemonic one which was represented by an Indian speaker. During the activity, a large proportion of the students preferred the North American accent and disregarded the Indian one. Thus, this scenario corroborates the importance of intercultural activities that promote critical reflection on the English language within the school context. It is also important to point out that the English language teaching perspectives presented in this study are guided by the premises of English as a lingua franca (ILF), whose re-signified definition has moved beyond the original concept. (SIQUEIRA & BARROS, 2013)