Catering for the needs of A Nova Classe C

The economic boom that lifted millions of Brazilians out of lower class and into middle class in

the past years has had a great impact on ELT as with all other educational realms in our country. For

a long time, only the more affluent had access to English learning. More recently, however, a

reasonable amount of discretionary income, and the possibility to enhance employability has made

more Brazilians enrol in English language courses.

According to a study published by the British Council in Brazil in 2014, only 5% of Brazilians

state that they speak English, nevertheless, this percentage doubles among young people between

18 and 24 years old. The study showed that 47% of respondents believe they have a basic level of

proficiency, 32% said that their level is intermediate, 16% consider their English advanced, and 5%

did not know how to answer the question. The study also revealed that there has been an

educational leap in Brazil. In 2013, 18% of the population had progressed beyond secondary

education. This corresponds to the profile of the students who have been filling the classrooms, i.e. a

young adult who leads a professional life, attends university in the evening or aspires to enter

university, has a basic level of English, and sees English as a way to climb up the ladder of

professional success.

After reading this study and pondering over lessons I have observed, I started to wonder if this

“new” profile has really had any sway over the learning and behaviour of the students, and I felt

compelled to understand what special abilities, if any, I needed to develop to be kitted out to teach,

and also to better equip my trainee teachers. My curiosity was even more piqued due to the fact that

although more and more students are studying English, drop out rates have been higher and higher

in language institutes. Much as I do not have solidified numbers, colleagues from different schools

keep voicing the same complaint. Thus, the conclusion I came to is that although the profile of our

student has changed, we keep offering them the same old solutions that were once effective, but are

not so far-reaching anymore.

The student from the Nova Classe C I am describing here is a young adult who has never

studied English, but who now sees it as a means of passing muster. This student can afford

education, but has had limited life experiences. They have to juggle their studies, work and personal

life, and do not have much free time. They want to have quick results to better cope with market

demands. According to Ricci (2009), the emerging middle class in Brazil is the most remarkable

social phenomenon that ever occurred in the country. The study indicates that the values the Nova

Classe C cherish are different to the values cherished by the traditional middle class. Whereas the

traditional middle class values achievements like house ownership, job security, social status and

circle of friends, the emerging middle class values achievements like material goods, the possibility of

displaying wealth (ostentation), and they take pride in their origins and cultural heritage, and I also

considered this in my cogitations.

As far as learning and behaviour are concerned, Sanchez (2011) explains that some of the

major characteristics of emerging middle class students are:

• education has become a commodity;

• (which means that) young professionals need to “have” English, and not to “speak” English;

• English is needed quickly – it is a means of climbing up the career ladder;

• there has been a shift of paradigm: learners are customers;

• today’s emerging middle class young adult students, in general, have had low quality basic

education;

• students usually lack learning strategies;

• students do not usually perceive the practical application of the language;

• today’s emerging middle class has had little exposure to English;

• there is no time to waste; there is a different perception of priorities;

• students usually have low self-esteem;

• fewer students had a negative learning experience in the past – because this is the first time

they are learning a second language formally;

• students have a smaller sense of belonging;

• learning a foreign language is one more activity they have to do;

• learning a foreign language grants social status.

Taking all these characteristics into consideration, it is my firm belief that in order to better cater

for the needs of this modern student, teachers needs to be able to develop seven core abilities:

1. valuing personhood;

2. helping students develop self-esteem;

3. helping students understand cultural differences;

4. teaching students learning strategies;

5. confronting students’ beliefs about learning;

6. developing coaching abilities to help students cope with their workload and their process of

learning;

7. developing affective teaching skills.

Valuing personhood

We need to give students the opportunity to talk about their own story, voice their opinions,

thoughts, feelings and aspirations. Here, the use of personalised activities is of the essence if we

want to give learners the possibility to boost their self-esteem and foster their sense of belonging.

This approach is what Head and Taylor (1997) call a person-centred approach, and it helps, among

other things, establish trust, accept resistance, raise awareness and solve problems. We also need to

understand that off-the-shelf materials might not always be the best option, and that oftentimes we

need to tailor activities so students can perceive their relevance more clearly. Cunningsworth (1995)

explain that when selecting materials, we need to consider the learning and teaching situation,

understanding the status and role of the learner. This, from my point of view, is a way to value

personhood.

Helping students develop self-esteem

Self-esteem may seem intangible when we think of is an abstract concept, however, there is

more to it than “just” having confidence in one’s own worth and abilities. According to Williams and

Burden (1997) low self-esteem translates as a deficiency need in the classroom, and students have

low self-esteem they tend to become high-maintenance. When this is the case, students are unable

to give their full attention in class, and learning and behaviour problems start to compound. In order

to help students develop their self-esteem, there are simple actions teachers can follow regularly, like

defining the procedures and routines of the lesson clearly, involving learners in defining classroom

rules and norms, promoting individual responsibility, and praising students meaningfully. Williams and

Burden (1997) explain that possible spin-offs of these actions are an increased sense of competence,

control of behaviour, and a belief in positive outcomes.

Helping students understand cultural differences

Bearing in mind that Nova Classe C students we are talking about have had little exposure to

English and have had limited life experiences, it is important to help them build cultural awareness,

understand what qualities they need to deal with other cultures successfully, and how to operate

successfully with people from other cultures. Tomalin and Stempleski (1993) say that students need

to be helped to understand ‘cultural knowledge’, and that they need to be given the chance to

observe ‘cultural behaviour’. This is a way to develop intercultural sensitivity and awareness. I

personally believe that giving students the opportunity to show and discuss their own ‘cultural

knowledge’ and ‘behavior’ is equally important in this setting, given that we are talking about students

who take pride in and value their origins and cultural heritage.

Teaching students learning strategies

In this case, rather than a recipe, I believe we need to help students understand what factors

affect their learning, in a progressive, systematic, piecemeal manner. Ellis and Sinclair (1989)

suggest that students need to discover the strategies that suit them best, and that they should take

responsibility for their learning. If we consider the students we are talking about, however, it is evident

that there should be a preliminary step before that. We need to remember that these students have

had low quality basic education, and lack learning strategies. The teacher needs to pave the way for

the students to discover what strategies best becomes them – the teacher needs to present the

strategies, let students experiment, discuss the strategies and assess the results with the students.

Only after that will they become better able to make informed decisions about the strategies that are

more helpful, and will they be able to become accountable for their learning.

Confronting students’ beliefs about learning

According to the same study published by British Council Brazil which motivated me to write

this article, among the people who do not study English, 72% said they lack time, 65% said it was

very expensive, 27% said their present job does not require it, 18% said schools do not suit their

needs, and 22% said that results take too long too appear. These data are totally compatible with the

profile shown by students. Teachers need to be able to confront these beliefs by showing students

results and by raising awareness of their progress.

Developing coaching abilities to help students cope with their workload and their process of

learning

This ability is directly connected to the first reason why students abandon or do not even start

their English courses. According to Megginson and Clutterbuck (2009), teachers can help students

manage their time by teaching them how to create and prioritise to-do lists, and also how to beat

procrastination. At the beginning of the course or at the beginning of each unit of work, the teacher

can help students plan their schedule so they can do all the tasks and activities they have to do. Also,

from the beginning of the course the teacher can show students how to break major goals into

smaller goals, e.g. speaking English fluently and finding a high-powered, top job might be a bit too

ambitions, but being able to participate in a conference call and answering an e-mail in English are

more easily attainable goals. The teacher needs to show students that they have to be held

accountable for what they compromise to do, and the teacher needs to keep showing students short-

term and long-term results, which will also have an impact on their motivation.

Developing affective teaching skills

Arnold (1999) explains that the key abilities teachers need to develop in order to offer

affective teaching are:

1. focus on critical thinking/thinking skills;

2. show students the importance of working collaboratively;

3. help students identify situations of anxiety and the reason why this feeling is generated;

4. encourage students to take risks and make them aware of them importance of making mistakes;

5. understand what motivates this student to learn so that you can focus on this (these) aspect(s);

6. empathise with the students’ reality.

It is clear that these suggestions tally with the other ones, and at times they even overlap.

We have had more and more students who have access to language learning, but need to

learn how to deal with it and how to use strategies to better learn it, understand its relevance, and

use it to their own benefit. Teachers must understand exactly what these students need in order to

cater for their needs. Teachers need to develop both hard and soft skills.

References:

1. Arnold, J. (1999). Affect in language learning. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

2. British Council Brazil (2014). Learning English in Brazil. São Paulo: British Council.

3. Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Oxford, England: Heinemann.

4. Ellis, G. and Sinclair, B. (1989). Learning to learn English. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

5. Head, K. and Taylor, P. (1997). Readings in teacher development. Oxford: Heinemann English

Language Teaching.

6. Megginson, D., Clutterbuck, D. and Megginson, D. (2009). Further techniques for coaching

and mentoring. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.

7. Ricci, R. (2009). O maior fenômeno sociológico do Brasil: A nova classe média. São Paulo:

Escola de Governo.

8. Sanchez, L. (2011). A escalada da classe C. São Paulo. Revista Educação.

9. Tomalin, B. and Stempleski, S. (1993). Cultural awareness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

10.Williams, M. and Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.