Nome: Antônio Estêvão
Idade: não informado
Escolaridade: não informado
Tempo de aprendizagem: não informado


I started learning English at school when I got the fifth series. That is, there were five years that I was frequenting school. I entered to school when I was seven and I had my first contact to English when I was eleven. I liked English even before getting contact with it at school. As far as I remember, the teacher used to teach grammar mainly and sometimes he taught using lyrics. I enjoyed any activity in English because English was and still is my favourite discipline.

From fifth series to the end of “Ensino Médio”, I had three different teachers. With all of them I always got very good grades. But the contents were basically grammar. Even when we (the students) worked with pronounce and dialogue, we practised some grammar rule. Sometimes the teacher made some dictation in order to test student’s capacity of listening and writing according to what they heard, and sometimes we were also supposed to do some simple text productions.

After finishing “Ensino Médio” I knew a lot of grammar, but I could not express a well elaborated opinion in English. The expressions I was able to do were some greetings and simple sentences like these: “she is beautiful”, I like her”, “I like her because she’s beautiful”, “good morning. How are you?” and so on. In sum, I was able to perform functional competence shyly. Then I stayed far from school for some years. I kept contact with English but only by myself at home: I used to read, or write or listen to music or any other recording in English. 

Few years later I decide to enrol myself for an English course. I am not sure whether it took two years or 1 year and a half to cover the basic level. When I finished the basic course I was not able to do more than the functional competence and sociolinguistic competence, but I am sure I had more input material which would help me later on in my English learning process. After that I suspended the course, but kept contact with English by myself. I felt it was not enough for increasing or, at least, keeping knowledge. Then I started a particular course. I mean I was the only one student with my teacher in turn. He used to teach me several things in English like History, Philosophy, Psychology, Mechanics, Policy and whatever. We also talked about trivial subjects in English. At the beginning and at the ending of each class he used to ask me whether I had a question or a comment to do. If I had a comment to do, I was free to do it and he did not interrupt me neither correct me while I was speaking. He used to correct me only when I had finished my speech. After the introductory part I read an English text and the teacher commented the text in English. During the major part of the beginning classes I was listening his comments. In other words, I was receiving input material: words, expressions, pronunciation and so on. And it was this input which would give me support for expressing my thoughts later on. The more I read English texts and listened to my teacher comments, the more elements I got for talking. The more I talked in English, the more self confidente I got for keeping conversation on. In that stage I felt able to perform the functional, sociolinguistic, interactional and even the cultural competence. Unfortunately I had to leave the course. 


Some years later I earned a half scholarship to an English school called Instituto Abraham Lincoln. I got it but I had to start from the middle of basic level. I finished basic level and intermediate level as well. Of course I had so much input material and I was also developing the interactional competence again. The material used in the course was not what we may call as a authentic material but it was a good material with a great proportion of grammar. After that I went to college (PUC Minas) for one year. And then I went to UFMF. 

It is at UFMG that I have learnt English most at graduation course and at CENEX. And it is there that I could feel the power of the communicative approach in learning a foreign language. The way teachers are used to teach grammar or literature there makes students communicate to each other and use the language for practising the abilities of listening, reading, writing and speaking. Moreover, it is done in a critical way, which makes students think using the target language. The course at CENEX follows the same line and helps graduating students improve themselves.

Of course we can not measure knowledge as we measure sugar or a distance. But we can feel our development through our performance in conversation or in making a written work. And even knowing that I still have very much to learn, I can feel that I have improved a lot with the communicative methodology.