Challenges and solutions in contexts of mother tongue teaching and learning for 6-year-old children

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present some of the findings on how to welcome and involve 6-year-old children in primary education using teaching strategies that focus on spoken skills, as well as reading and writing. It derives from an exploratory ethnographic investigation that gradually evolved towards action research. The issues discussed involve: theoretical aspects concerning the learning process and the written language, in an attempt to reflect upon the implications of the emerging literacy rates in early literacy development; available resources within the school and the interaction between the researcher, the class teacher and the children; the teaching and learning procedures permeated by challenges and ludic endeavors; data from the diagnostic assessment on reading, carried out in the beginning of the year through interviews, and insights on the effects of the procedures introduced, through the final assessment carried out at the end of the year. The analysis of the initial and final assessment data suggests that emerging literacy prior to 6 years of age has considerable impact and interferes strongly on the development of the reading and writing skills of students.