A proposta paulista de renovação do ensino de gramática dos anos 80/90

The present article shows a reflection on the impact caused by the State of São Paulo proposal for renewing the teaching of grammar from the 5th to the 8th grades in the public schools. To put this reflection into effect, we described and analyzed the concept and function ascribed to grammar by the different organs in charge of the spread of the new proposals for change. This analysis enables us to learn that the proposal for renewing the teaching of grammar in public elementary schools in the State of São Paulo, based on criticism of school and traditional grammar, shows different perspectives of this kind of teaching from the so-called Functional Linguistics. Besides that, we saw that the organs which set the connection between the knowledge, coming from Linguistics and the teachers, make these differences neutral or wipe them out. As to the teachers’classes, we were able to realize the great difficulty faced by teachers in developing the study of grammar based on texts, thus making their performances full of mistakes and misinterpretations. The present work also enables us to think about our own role in teacher training as well as the whole process of teacher education in general. From the results of this survey, we believe that if there’s not a broader reflection based on the teachers’practices it will be difficult to talk about new teaching proposals as well as the real achievement of the desired changes