Psicogênese da Língua Escrita

Understanding Literacy and Learning Processes

Key Developments in Literacy Acquisition

• The literacy process involves three interrelated developments: psychogenetic development, knowledge of letters, and phonological awareness. These vary for each child and class, which educators must consider in their planning.

• Influential thinkers like Piaget, Cortes, and Valongo have studied children's psychogenetic development—how mental processes evolve. Research by Emília Ferreira in the 1970s highlights how children conceptualize their language learning journeys.

Phases of Written Language Learning

• Ferreira's research indicates that the journey to written language is marked by distinct phases. This concept was introduced to Brazil through her work, which has been replicated across various Romance languages.

• Children begin developing writing skills outside school settings; they naturally acquire knowledge about writing through exposure to a literate environment at home. This informal education includes contact with written texts but lacks an understanding of letter-sound relationships initially.

Transition from Drawing to Writing

• Initially, children may confuse writing with drawing; for example, when asked to write "butterfly," they might draw one instead. Over time, they differentiate between these activities and start imitating letters before recognizing that letters represent sounds (phonemes).

• Despite this natural progression occurring outside formal education contexts, schools eventually play a crucial role in guiding systematic literacy instruction as children advance in their understanding of writing.

Classroom Activities and Phonological Awareness

• In a classroom setting led by Welinton between March and July, activities focused on letter recognition and phonological awareness were implemented using texts as starting points for learning. The psychological impact on students' development was significant during this period.

• An example activity involved dictating animal names while encouraging students to listen for sounds—a method aimed at enhancing their phonemic awareness as part of the literacy process. Welinton is noted to be in the syllabic-alphabetic phase where he recognizes word divisions into syllables and associated sounds/letters effectively.

Supporting Student Progression