Untested Feasibilities in Bilingual Education: A Critical Analysis of the Global Kids Portfolio

• In Event: Advancing International and Comparative Bi-/Multilingual Education Research: Global Visions for an Interconnected World

Abstract

Aware of the limit situations we face in Brazil, such as the inequality of opportunities and the neoliberalism that governs our educational processes, this text presents our vision of critical intercultural bi/multilingual education committed to social justice and the creation of untested feasibilities (Freire, 1987; 1992) that challenge the current structure. We analyse the Global Kids Portfolio, a textbook designed for use in bilingual schools serving underprivileged contexts in Brazil, specifically for Infant Education. Supported by the concept of “inédito viável” or “untested feasibility”—that is, scenarios of possibility (Freire, 1987; 1992)—and the notion of interculturality (Candau, 2008; Schnorr, 2015; Dietz, 2012; Tubino, 2005; Walsh, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014), we highlight that the intentional selection of children's stories aimed at overcoming the monocultural nature of our schools, has the potential to create untested feasibilities. This, in turn, aids in the formation of more agentive, responsive, and compassionate individuals. Interculturality is based on the recognition and the right to the difference (Nunes & Santos, 2003). From an intercultural perspective (Walsh, 2009), it is proposed to question the differences and inequalities historically woven in our society regarding sociocultural, ethnic-racial, gender and sexual orientation relations, among others. In this sense, we start from the belief that education has as its main objectives the construction of societies in which differences are the central axis of democracy and the production of subjects capable of establishing equitable and fairer relationships (Liberali & Megale, 2021). The material analysed, Global Kids Portfolio, is anchored in the Brazilian National Common Core and the WIDA linguistic framework and was developed by a multidisciplinary team with the goal of promoting an integrated curriculum. For the analysis, we utilized the Atlas.ti software, specifically designed for qualitative data analysis (Bittar, 2022; Usiskin, 2013). Through an examination of all sections across the Global Kids Portfolio, we constructed indices and indicators. Some of the indices developed include Brazil, Brazilian culture, Indigenous, African communities, Brazilian and languages of Brazil. These textbooks are analysed within using the following framework: (1) The approach and perspective of multiculturalism: whether it is descriptive or propositional; (2) if propositional, the specific aspect of multiculturalism revealed: whether it aligns with assimilationist multiculturalism, differentialist multiculturalism, plural monoculturalism, or interactive multiculturalism; and (3) the extent to which the materials provide opportunities for learners to confront diverse narratives from non-hegemonic cultures. The intercultural perspective adopted by the Global Kids Portfolio has the potential to facilitate the creation of new untested feasibilities (Freire, 1987; 1992) by questioning the power dynamics established in a society that privileges certain individuals, knowledge, and practices over others (Walsh, 2011).

Authors

• Antonieta Heyden Megale, Unifesp - Federal University of São Paulo

• Michele Salles El Kadri, Universidade Estadual de Londrina