‘BECOMING A BILINGUAL TEACHER’: narratives of bilingual teachers in private school in Sinop-MT
Elite bilingual education. Elite bilingual teacher. Elite bilingual teacher training (EL)
We are currently experiencing a transformative period in Brazilian education, with bilingual education showing significant growth, especially in private schools (SOUZA, 2021), and now expanding into public institutions (SECOM-JP, 2020). This movement underscores the need to regulate this form of education, as exemplified by the Parecer CNE/CEB N.º 2/2020, which aims to legitimize prestigious language bilingual education (MEGALE, 2018) and combat misinformation about this modality. In this context, the present study analyzes the experience of becoming a teacher in bilingual educational institutions in Sinop-MT, with the following objectives: (i) to investigate the formative path of teachers in private bilingual schools; (ii) to understand how the training of these professionals meets the requirements of current legislation; and (iii) to identify the training needs of these professionals. To support the research, a theoretical framework was established encompassing: (1) the bilingual subject (BYERS-HEINLEIN & LEW-WILLIAMS, 2013; BAKER, 2001); (2) bilingual education (MEGALE, 2023; MEGALE, 2018); (3) bilingual teacher training (RODRÍGUEZ, 1990; GARCÍA & KLEIFGEN, 2010); and (4) narrative research (BRANDÃO ET AL., 2023; LIEBLICH ET AL., 1998). The group of informants initially consisted of 20 bilingual teachers (English) and 4 coordinators. However, due to the scope of a master's dissertation, only 6 teachers and 4 coordinators were selected to present their narratives. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, a timeline of experiences with the English Language (EL) from the teachers, and semi-structured interviews. The results and findings are relevant to the discussion on elite bilingual teacher training and its implications, contributing to the reflection on points that can improve this training.