IFMundo 2019: narrative experience on IFNMG - Campus Almenara - student's participation in the UN English-language simulated committee

Resumo

The communicative practice in English language rests on the pillars of speaking, reading, writing and listening. However, in general, the regular high school Brazilian student does not often find the necessary subsidies to develop these skills in school. The IFMundo project from the Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais (IFNMG) – campus Almenara was born aiming to providing multidisciplinary, plural and democratic learning. Within the scope of a simulation of the UN committee, the IFNMG English-language committee is also born with the aim to provide the student a possibility to experience a communicative practice through the representation of a nation, seeking to debate and point out suggestions for improving problems of great global relevance. This paper brings an experience report that point out gains and difficulties faced by students acting as ambassadors responsible for defending their country positions with the committee, using a second language. In the preparatory stage, there was a voluntary selection and the chosen group of participants for the project studied, prepared, simulated and problematized various situations linked to what the project proposed. The participation in all project stages allowed the intensive use of the English language in the debate committee, increased the student's vocabulary and self-confidence in speaking the language, and served as a springboard for participants and others involved in emphasizing the importance of learning English for the academic, social and labor market purposes.