Abstract:

Learning a foreign language implies developing the ability to orally transmit information correctly and appropriately to the communicative situation, as recommended in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001). According to Dyvnych (2017), communicative competence, a term created in 1966 by Hymes and continuously updated (Savignon, 1972; Krashen and Terrell, 1983; Hymes, 2001), it’s an inclusive concept, since it implies the ability to listen, read, write, speak, and also pragmatic and sociocultural skills.

Working on communicative competence in the classroom, especially with foreign language students, is essential for learning effectively . However, the extension of school programs, the obligation to comply with them, the size of the classes are some of the factors that sometimes condition the development of oral expression activities in the classroom.

To overcome these obstacles and stimulate oral competence, we implemented a project consisting of creating a video on one of the following topics: five reasons to learn Mandarin, Chinese Gastronomy, Chinese Culture, Curiosities about China.

The project aims to develop communicative skills, some soft skills (such as teamwork, time management, information selection, among others), and also technological skills. In communicative terms, students had to be able to select information, produce texts with linguistic correction and suitable for a target audience. The project also aims to develop students' ability to maintain the viewer's attention, creating an appealing text.

The project, within the scope of the Portuguese Language I (LPI) subject, was presented to a group of Chinese students studying Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PLE) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, with proficiency level B1 in the 1st. Semester of 2021/2022. A script was requested before recording containing information on the textual and visual content to be included for each working group, composed of two or three elements. This stage aimed to develop linguistic competence, promoting students' questioning about the deviations detected by the teacher during the textual review and, subsequently, self-correction. After this phase, the students recorded and shared the videos on the Padlet class page.

The products conceived revealed the motivation felt by the students, not only because it is an active learning activity, but also because it is a tool for the dissemination of Culture and the students' homeland.

Keywords:

Communicative competence, Portuguese as Foreign Language, vídeos, Portuguese higher education, chinese students.