Humor as a Spanish language teaching resource for seniors

• Grant number: 18/05294-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2018
• End date: September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Educational Teaching and Learning
• Principal Investigator: Denise Maria Margonari Favaro
• Grantee: Luana Aparecida Etelvina de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Due to the increase of senior’s population, the discussions about teaching a foreign language to this target have grown. In the past, it was a belief that to learn a foreign language it should have been done while the childhood, because the brain would not be totally developed. Over the years, researches about this subject proved that the human brain has an important characteristic: plasticity - which means constant transformation. Now it is known that the acquisition of a new language goes beyond personal overcoming; it is part of having a quality of life. Therefore, supported by Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade (UNATI - UNESP Araraquara) and with the usage of humor and Spanish language, this research intends to study, comprehend and find resources and ways to motivate Seniors students while learning, making the teaching process enjoyable and easier to assimilate. Developing this research makes possible checking if humor can be effectively used in Spanish language teaching process. Also, in order to evaluate this, will be used two UNATI Spanish language classes. In both classes, we will use the communicative approach and the strips of the character Mafalda. The analysis of the results will be made in a qualitative way characterized as a qualitative-descriptive studies looking forward to evidence the role of humor as a didactic resource facilitator of the teaching-learning process, analyzing the results of its application by the teacher of Spanish who teaches the course.