Critical Literacy and Communicative Teaching: Gaps and Intersections

The objective of this paper is to foster reflections on the similarities and differences between the Communicative Approach, a well-known method for English language teaching in Brazil, & Critical Literacy, the latest suggestion made by the new Orientacoes Curriculares para o Ensino Medio (OCEM). First, we will address the theoretical traditions that give origin to the two teaching approaches, explaining their main concepts. Then, we will discuss the similarities between the two approaches, as well as their main differences. We claim that the two teaching approaches, however different in their proposals, are not incompatible, but complementary. Finally, we suggest an example of an integrated activity that aims to reconcile the objectives of the two approaches. Adapted from the source document