The English Lesson as a Site for the Developm Critical Thinking

This article discusses an investigation carried out with a group learners of English in a Brazilian language school aiming at the individuals' development of critical thinking and their involvem de-naturalization process of gender dualism. The study, which in an educational context witnessing important changes at bot and micro levels, has its theoretical foundation in multicultura identity studies as well as in Goffman's (1974, 1981) notions of and participant status and in Wood, Bruner, and Ross's (1976) scaffolding. By re-defining the EFL classroom as a multicultur which essentialist and stereotypical social identities are constan challenged, participants in this three-semester long research pr engaged in pedagogical practices moving away from a teacherpattern towards a pattern in which participants, reconfiguring of power in the classroom, could take on different alignments w engaging in the development of critical thinking concerning gen These debates, together with this dynamic participation structu enabled students to revisit some taken-for-granted assumption concerning gender. They also stimulated changes in the roles tr played by the teacher and by students: the former performed va footings other than those of controller, transmitter, or facilitat provided scaffolding characterized by both support and challen latter could perform the role of the more knowledgeable partic