WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CHÁ PEDAGÓGICO?
Chá Pedagógico was a project we developed in 2019 and the basis for it was CPFL’s Café Filosófico, where two highly qualified invitees sit down and discuss important issues about daily life and education. With Chá Pedagógico André Hedlund and Rodolfo “Rudy” Mattiello join forces related to their background – respectively Neuroscience and Cognitive Linguistics – and bring out podcast episodes that provide (language) teachers fresh insights to have them review their own practices and better explore their students’ potential.
In this section of New Routes, questions related to past or current episodes from viewers, teachers, educators, parents, all walks of life will be answered.
Although the topics are inherently academic, both our geekiness stand out and we incorporate it into every episode so that the discussions are more relatable and fun (because why not?). You are going to watch episodes where we link Star Wars to declarative and procedural memory, Hollywood films that are connected to conceptualizations, Big Brother (the book, not the reality show) and language development. All that supported by research and books.
CAN MY LANGUAGE LIMIT WHAT I’M ABLE TO THINK?
Language is not a limitation. In fact, it expresses our thoughts. Were that the case, languages that do not gave specific words – for example, Brazilian Portuguese doesn’t have the English word “to tackle”, and English doesn’t have the Brazilian Portuguese word “saudade” – wouldn’t allow us to think nor develop the mental content of what “saudade” means. But we can and we do it.
We generate concepts based on our experiences in the world, we connect the dots, and then we develop concepts that occupy our mental spaces. When we engage in spoken interaction and we need to describe that experience, in spoken interaction and we need to describe that experience, the concept so that other people understand that, we use language. Therefore, language is not a constraint, but a vessel used to describe whatever concept is in our mental space.
Watch our episode on this topic here:
WHAT CAN MONTESSORI TEACH US ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING?
The most important lesson is that effective learning requires usage and application. Montessori was a pioneer when it came to student-centered learning. Her pedagogy prioritized self and guided discovery by interacting with the environment, which was designed to suit kids’ needs and promote curiosity. In that process, teachers took the role of motivators and facilitators, following the child, documenting their progress, and allowing them to explore uncharted territory.
As language teachers, we can’t get inspired by Montessori, as we create rich contexts for students to use the language in meaningful ways. As the neuroscience saying goes: “Use it or lose it.” However, we cannot forget to also teach the basics so that everyone can access their prior knowledge before learning new things.
Watch out episode on this topic here:
DO INTENSIVE COURSES REALLY WORK?
Not as much as you’d think. Don’t get us wrong. We believe immersion experiences can be quite helpful. But If they’re short-term and students have the wrong motivations to embrace them, chances are they will quickly give up afterwards. The thing is: it doesn’t matter so much when you start but how far you go. People who usually sign up for intensive courses believe they will boost the linguistic competence and reach their desired proficiency faster, but they will receive a lot of input and maybe not have the opportunity to settle that knowledge in their brains or to actually use what they’re learning more effectively. Think about working out. Can you experience significant change by hitting the gym for 2 or 3 hours everyday for a month? Sure. Is that sustainable for most people considering their daily lives? What matters the most is how do you keep going throughout your life.
Watch out episode on this topic here:
CHÁ PEDAGÓGICO IS A MONTHLY PODCAST on linguistics and neuroscience in partnership with Disal.
You can follow it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY9EABg89VcjyfnQHhOZEST-OCjZCci
