Reframing Early Childhood English education through competencies

a BNCC approach

Abstract

The teaching of English in Early Childhood Education has gained increasing visibility in the Brazilian educational context, particularly due to the expansion of bilingual schools and the growing social appreciation of bilingualism (Megale, 2014; Megale e Liberali, 2016; Megale e El Kadri, 2023). However, significant gaps remain in initial teacher education and in the absence of specific curricular guidelines for this stage of basic education, given that the BNCC (2018) does not include English language teaching in Early Childhood Education. This scenario constitutes the central problem investigated in this study: how can teachers design meaningful pedagogical practices in the face of this curricular gap? The objective of this article is to discuss how the six BNCC learning rights (to live together, play, participate, explore, express, and know oneself) can be articulated with the development of competencies (Zabala & Arnau, 2010) in English language education for young children. Embedded in an ongoing master’s research project, this study adopts a qualitative, theoretical-analytical methodology, conducting a literature review on English language teaching for children (Megale, 2014; Kawachi-Furlan & Tonelli, 2021; Tonelli, 2023; Malta, 2019), and conceptions of Early Childhood Education (BNCC, 2018; RCNEI, 1998; Freire, 1987). Based on this theoretical framework, the study offers an interpretative analysis of the learning rights by relating them to the dimensions of knowledge, skills, and attitudes mobilized in pedagogical work. The analysis indicates that each learning right can be operationalized through concrete experiences in English classrooms, such as games, dramatizations, sensory activities, nature exploration, and collaborative participation routines, which support both linguistic learning and children’s holistic development. The findings reveal that English teaching in Early Childhood Education, when grounded in a competency-based approach, shifts the focus from memorization to meaningful social practices, recognizing children as active, creative subjects capable of linguistic agency in their interactions. It is concluded that strengthening both initial and continuing teacher education, as well as advancing toward the development of a specific BNCC for English in Early Childhood Education, are urgent needs. Such measures may contribute to the consolidation of pedagogical practices aligned with the care-education principle, citizenship development, and the promotion of linguistic, social, and affective competencies from early childhood onward.