Redes sociais: Possibilidades para desenvolvimento de práticas argumentativas

Abstract

Social networks are characterized as a resource educators can use to discover and explore their potential and productive ways in the teaching-learning process. From this perspective, this study aimed to analyze the contributions of social networks as an educational resource in the development of skills related to the production of argumentative texts in the final grades of elementary school. Thus, from difficulties diagnosed in a class of the 9th grade of a municipal school in Montes Claros - Minas Gerais, regarding argumentation and further considering the significant interest of the students by digital technologies and social networking sites, the need to propose an educational project of intervention that would overcome or at least minimize the difficulties encountered in class emerged. The practice then was to work from scrolling action-reflection-action, with an approach anchored in the interactive theory of Bakhtin (1997), theoretical studies of Coscarelli (2005) and Xavier (2005; 2009), on the use of technologies in the educational context as well as in Silva's notes (2002), on the interactivity and its implications for education; Recuero (2009), in his study of social networks on the Internet, among others, also of fundamental importance, as Charaudeau (2010) and Koch (1996) and their contributions on the argumentative text. Performed under the perspective of action research and using quantitative and qualitative approaches in the analysis, this research is applied type due to its pragmatic character, being focused on practical application to solving specific problems and explanatory type in relation to the objectives. Thus, by creating a closed group on the Facebook, we verified that the social network as an environment that excels in interactivity may be considered a locus of socio discursive practices, then favoring dialogue, interaction and exchange of knowledge in the discussion of the topics. Taking into account the results achieved, we could notice that work with social networks when properly mediated by the teacher may contribute to promote reflection and critical position. Therefore, it enables the development of argumentation practices, thus contributing to minimize difficulties related to the production of argumentative texts.