Sandie Mourão

Originally from North Wales, I have lived and worked in Portugal since 1987 and have an MA in TESOL from the University of Manchester and a PhD from the University of Aveiro in didactics and teacher education. In my thesis I investigated the role of picturebook illustrations in language development, which brought two of my passions together, language learning with children under 6 years old and picturebooks for language learning. I continue to be involved in classroom-based research involving both language learning and reader response, together with interests in issues around intercultural  learning, assessment of learning and classroom practices in primary English education.


 

PRESENT PROJECTS:

  • Principal Researcher on a three-year research project investigating teacher education and classroom-based assessment practices, ‘Transforming assessment mindsets: Professional development through a blended MOOC’ (TAM-bMOOC Project) in collaboration with Universidade Aberta, Portugal. [Funded through CETAPS, UIDB/04097/2020]
  • Participating researcher on ‘Active Citizenship Through Dialogue in Virtual teacher communities’ (ACT-DI-V) [Funded through Erasmus+ Cooperation partnerships in school education].

Past projects:

  • Coordinator of ‘Intercultural Citizenship Education through Picturebooks in early English Language Learning’ (ICEPELL) 2019-2022 [Funded through Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for higher education]
  • Coordinator of Assessment in Primary English Education in Portugal 2018 – 2021 [Funded through CETAPS, UIDB/04097/2020]
  • Co-Coordinator of  TEYL in the practicum: mapping supervisory and teaching approaches 2018 – 2021 [Funded through CETAPS, UIDB/04097/2020]
  • Lead researcher in baseline study requested by Peruvian Ministry of Education and British Council Lima. Early language learning in Peruvian pre-primary education (NILE Consultancy) 2017
  • Lead researcher in national survey requested by Portuguese Ministry of Education. Title: Early Language Learning in Pre-primary Education in Portugal with APPI, 2014-2016
  • Participating researcher in ELT Research Partnership Scheme grant from British Council, UK Project title: English Learning Areas in Preschool Classrooms: an investigation of their effectiveness in supporting EFL development with Dr Penelope Robinson of Leeds University. 2013 – 2014

 

PROFESSIONAL PATHWAY

In May 2019 I began as a full-time researcher in CETAPS Universidade Nova, where I am investigating children’s literature for intercultural citizenship education in primary English education in Portugal. Before that I was a part-time invited assistant professor at the faculty and responsible for the seminar, ‘Teaching Young Learners’ on the Mestrado em Ensino de Inglês no 1º ciclo do Ensino Básico.

I have worked as a freelance teacher educator and educational consultant since 2000, working closely with APPIforma and NILE, training classroom pre-primary and primary teachers of English both in Portugal and around the world. I have also worked with the Portuguese Ministry of Education as a supervisor and trainer for online courses for primary teachers of English. I am often engaged in consultancies on early language learning, and have worked closely with the Ministry of Education in Peru and Cambridge English Assessment associated with curriculum changes in Malaysia.


 

ASSOCIATIONS AND NETWORKS

I am active member of research associations. At present, I am the Chair of the Early Language Learning Research Association (ELLRA) (2023 – 2026). In 2017, I set up and coordinate the Primary English Education in Portugal (PEEP), a network of Higher Education Institutes that offer a master’s in Teaching English in Primary Education. I also set up the Multilingual Childhoods Special Interest Group (SIG) within EECERA and co-convened the SIG between August 2015 and May 2019 – I remain a member of the association and this SIG.

I am also an active member of teacher associations and have been a member of IATEFL and APPI since the late 1990s. I founded the APPI special interest group for pre-primary and primary teachers (APPInep) and coordinated the group between 2000 and 2009. I was the coordinator of the IATEFL Young Learner (YL) SIG from 2003 to 2006 and a trustee on the IATEFL Board between 2006 and 2009.

Together with Gail Ellis, Tatia Gruenbaum and Anneta Sadowska I ave co-founded Picturebooks in European Primary English Language Teaching (PEPELT), which supports primary teachers of English in using picturebooks with confidence.

I used to blog – Picturebooks in ELT promotes the use of picturebooks with language learners of all age groups, with a focus on picturebooks that help make the world a better place.

PUBLICATIONS

  • EDITORIAL WORK

Children’s Literature in Language Education Journal (CLELEjournal) – Founder and Co-editor 2013 to 2019

Mourão, S. & K. Bennett, eds. Mediation in Multimodal Literature, Education, and Translation: Picturebooks and Graphic Narratives. Abingdon: Routledge, forthcoming.

Leslie, C. & S. Mourão, eds. Researching Educational Practices, Teacher Education and Professional Development for Early Language Learning: Examples from Europe. Abingdon: Routledge, forthcoming.

Alstad, G.T.  and S. Mourão. (2021). Research into Multilingual Issues in ECEC Contexts: Proposing a Transdisciplinary Research Field. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29(3) http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2021.1928845.

Ramos, A.M, Mourão, S. & M.T. Cortez, eds. Fractures and Disruptions in Children’s Literature. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2017.

Mourão, S. and M. Lourenço, eds. Early Years Second Language Education: International Perspectives on Theories and Practice. Abingdon: Routledge, 2015.

 

  • BOOKS AND REPORTS

Mourão, S. (in preparation). Picturebooks in Early Language Learning: Beyond ‘Brown Bear’. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Vieira, F., Mourão, S., Andrade, A.I., Cruz, M., Leslie, C., Orega, M.I., Pinho, A.S., Jorge, J.R., Silva, E.M., & Simões, A.R. (2021). Mapeando abordagens da formação inicial de professores de Inglês no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico em Portugal. Cadernos do LabELing. Aveiro: UA Editora. https://ria.ua.pt/handle/10773/32721

Moreira, M.A. Mourão, S. Leslie, C. & Monteiro, E. (2021), Avaliação das Aprendizagens de Inglês no 1º CEB: Um Estudo em Portugal Continental. Lisboa: CETAPS, NOVA FCSH. https://run.unl.pt/handle/10362/127374

Mourão, S. with G. Ellis. Teaching English to Pre-primary Children. Educating very young children. Peaslake: Delta Publishing, 2020. [Winner of ELTons Award]

Robinson, P., S. Mourão, and N-J. Kang. English Learning Areas in pre-primary classrooms: an investigation of their effectivenessLondon: British Council, 2015.

Mourão, S. and M. Lourenço, eds. Early Years Second Language Education: International Perspectives on Theories and Practice. Abingdon: Routledge, 2015.

(…)

Bento, C., R. Coelho, N. Joseph, & S. Mourão. Programa de Generalização de Ensino de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do ensino Básico. Orientações Programáticas [Guidelines for primary English in Portugal] Lisboa: Ministério de Educação, 2005.

Dias, A. & S. Mourão. Inglês no 1.º ciclo – práticas partilhadas. [English in primary – shared practices] Porto: ASA Editores, 2005.

Mourão, S. Junior English Timesavers ‘REALBOOKS! in the Primary Classroom. London: Mary Glasgow Scholastic, 2003.

 

  • CHAPTERS AND ARTICLES

Mourão, S., Leslie, C., Moreira, M.A. & Monteiro, E. (forthcoming). From (mis)perceptions to (mis)practices: The assessment of oral skills in primary English education in Portugal. In Karoulla-Vrikki, D. & Papadopoulos, I. (Eds.), Oracy and Literacy Development in English for Young Learners: Research Perspectives. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Vieira, F., Mourão, S. Andrade, A.I. & Simões, A.R. (forthcoming) Approaches to teaching and inquiry in primary English teacher education in Portugal. In Leslie, C. & Mourão, S. (Eds.), Researching Educational Practices, Teacher Education and Professional Development for Early Language Learning: Examples from Europe. Abingdon: Routledge.

Mourão, S. (2023). Crack in the classroom: a picturebook about the social problem of drug abuse and retrospective reflections from the classroom. In G. Alter and T. Merse (Eds.) Re-thinking Picturebooks for Intermediate and Advanced Learners. Tübingen: narr Studienbücher.

Mourão, S (2023). The effectiveness of picturebooks for intercultural awareness in foreign language education: A scoping study. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht, 28(1) 173-209.

Valente, D. & Mourão, S. (2022). Picturebooks as vehicles: Creating materials for pedagogical action. Children’s Literature in English Language Education Journal, 10(1), 1 – 28.

Vieira, F., Mourão, S., Andrade, A.I, Cruz, M., Reis- Jorge, J., Leslie, C., Orega, M.I., Pinho, A.S., Silva, M. E.  & Simões, A.R. (2022). Preparing primary English teachers: initial teacher education programmes in Portugal. International Journal of Teacher Education. DOI: 10.1080/02619768.2022.2132384

Vieira, F. & Mourão, S. (2022) Formar professores para a investigação pedagógica: o caso do Mestrado em Ensino de Inglês no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico em Portugal,Estreiadialogos https://www.estreiadialogos.com/revista

Ellis, G. & Mourão, S. (2022). Identifying quality in asynchronous, pre-recorded picturebook read-alouds for children learning English as another language. In A. Paran & S. Stadler-Heer (Eds.) Taking Literature Online: New Perspectives on Literature in Language Learning and Teaching. London: Bloomsbury.

Ellis, G. & Mourão, S. (2021) Demystifying the read-aloud. English Teaching Professional, 36, 22-25.

Mourão, S., Leslie, C., Moreira, M.A. & Monteiro, E. (2021). Battling Against a Traditional Assessment Culture: The Case of Early English Learning in Portugal. In S. Frisch, E. Romeik, J. Rymarczyk, (eds.). Current Research into Young FL and EAL Learners’ Literacy Skills. Berlin: Peter Lang.

Mourão, S. (2021). A challenging topic, format and genre: Interpreting a wordless picturebook in pre-primary English language teaching. In B. Kümmerling-Meibauer & A.M. Ommundsen (Eds.), Challenging Picturebooks in Education. Abingdon: Routledge.

Mourão, S. (2021). The ethical practices of collecting informed consent in action research projects. In A. Pinter and K. Kuchah (Eds.), Ethical and methodological issues in researching young language learners in school contexts. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Alstad, G.T. & Mourão, S. (2021). Research into multilingual issues in ECEC contexts: proposing a transdisciplinary research field, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29:3, 319-335, DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2021.1928845

Mourão, S. (2021). English as a foreign language in ECE: Itinerant teachers of English and collaborative practices for an integrated approach European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29(3) http://dx.doi.org /10.1080/1350293X.2021.1928726

Mourão, S. (2020). Review of Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles, Children’s Picturebooks,Children’s Literature in English Language EducationJournal, 8(1), 74-80.

Mourão, S. (2019). Review of Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks.Children’s Literature in English Language EducationJournal, 7(2), 1-5.

Mourão, S. “Collaborative approaches to looking at progression in early years foreign language learning contexts”. In D. Prošić-Santovac & S. Rixon, eds. Integrating Assessment into Early Language Learning and Teaching Practice. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2019.

Mourão, S. “Integrating and emulating: Early English initiatives in Portugal”. In J. Rokita-Jaśkow and M. Ellis, eds. Early Instructed Second Language Acquisition: Psycholinguistic and Sociocultural Aspects. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2019.

Mourão, S. “Response during picturebook read alouds in English as a foreign language”Teanga: The Journal of the Irish Association of Applied Linguistics26 (1), 58-76, 2019.

Mourão, S. “Research into pre-primary language learning”. In S. Garton & F. Copland, eds. Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners. Abingdon: Routledge, 2018.

Mourão, S. “The social and linguistic benefits of peer interaction in a foreign language-learning programme”. In M. Schwartz, ed. Preschool Bilingual Education: Agency in Interactions between Children, Teachers, and Parents. Multilingual Education Series. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 2018.

Mourão, S. “Playing in English: the emerging voices of pre-primary children in a foreign language context”. In F. Copland, & S. Garton, eds. Voices from the TESOL Classroom: Participant Inquiries in Young Learner Classes. Alexandria, Vir: TESOL, p. 67-76, 2018.

Mourão, S. “Playing in English: the emerging voices of pre-primary children in a foreign language context”. In F. Copland & S. Garton, eds. Voices from the TESOL Classroom: Participant Inquiries in Young Learner Classes. Alexandria, Vir: TESOL, 2018.

Mourão, S. “Picturebooks in instructed foreign language learning contexts”.  In M. Nikolajeva, & C. Beauvais, eds. The Edinburgh Companion to Children’s Literature. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017.

Lourenço, M. & Mourão, S. “Learning English (and other languages) in Portugal”, Language Issues, 28(2) 2017 pp. 53-55.

Mourão, S. “O livro como objeto – Bernardo Carvalho no papel de ilustrador-designer”. In A. M. Ramos, (coord.) Aproximações ao Livro-objeto: Das Potencialidades Criativas às Propostas de Leitura. Porto: Tropelias&Companhia, 2017.

Mourão, S. & Robinson, P. “Facilitating the learning of English through collaborative practice. In V. Murphy, and M. Evangelou, eds. Early Childhood Education in English for Speakers of Other LanguagesLondon: British Council, 2016.

Mourão, S. “Picturebooks in the Primary EFL Classroom: Authentic Literature for an Authentic Response”, Children’s Literature in English Language Education Journal, Vol 4(1) 2016 pp. 25-43.

Mourão, S. “ELT in early childhood education: from a trickling stream to a rushing river”, Children and Teenagers, 2016(1) 2016.

Mourão, S.  Learning English is child’s play – how to leave them to it. Voices, 18.11.2015

Mourão, S. “The potential of picturebooks with young learners”. In J. Bland, ed. Teaching English to Young Learners. Critical Issues in Language Teaching with 3-12 year olds. London: Bloomsbury Academic pp 199 – 218, 2015.

Mourão, S. “English at pre-primary: the challenges of getting it right.” In J. Bland, ed. Teaching English to Young Learners. Critical Issues in Language Teaching with 3-12 year olds. London: Bloomsbury Academic pp 51-70, 2015.

Mourão, S. “Fostering affective responses to picturebooks in the young learner classroom”. Humanising Language Teaching, August, 2015.

Mourão, S. “What’s real and what’s not: playing with the mind in wordless picturebooks”. Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks: Creative and Critical Responses to Visual Texts. J. Evans, ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2015.

Mourão, S. “English at pre-primary: the challenges of getting it right”. Teaching English to Young Learners. Critical Issues in Language Teaching with 3-12 year olds. J. Bland, ed. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.

Mourão, S. “Taking play seriously in pre-primary English classes”. ELT Journal, 63.3, (2014) 254-264.

Mourão, S. “Understanding response to picturebooks”. Encuentros, 22, (2014).

Mourão, S. “Response to ‘The Lost Thing’: Notes from a secondary classroom”. Children’s Literature in English Language Education Journal, 1.1 (2013). 81-106.

 

  • COURSE BOOKS

Mourão, S. (2015). Discover with Dex 1 and 2 Student’s Book & Teacher’s Guide. Oxford: Macmillan [Winner of the ELTons Award]

Mourão, S. (2011). Hello Jack Pupil’s Book & Teacher’s Guide. Oxford: Macmillan

Mourão, S. Coelho, R. Bento, C. Joseph, N. (2009). Hoola Hoop Primary 1, 2, 3, 4 Student’s Book & Teacher’s Guide. Porto: Porto Editora

Coelho, D & Mourão, S. (2009). Little Hoola Pre-school Student’s Book & Teacher’s Guide. Porto: Porto Editora

Mourão, S. & Gamboa, F.C. (2009). Best Buddies Student’s Book, Activity Book & Teacher’s Guide Level 1, 2, 3. Editorial Macmillan de México, S.A: Mexico City

Mourão, S. (2007). Three in a Tree Activity Book – Level A and B. Oxford University Press: Oxford


 

CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR ORGANISATION

Since joining CETAPS as a researcher in 2019, I have set up the Advanced Research Seminar a biannual, one-day seminar, to provide avenues of interaction between established and early-career researchers and to address areas of research associated with languages in education. I have also been actively involved in conference organization committees for around a decade.

9 February 2023
Co-organiser with Catarina Castro (CETAPS)
CETAPS / TEALS  6th Advanced Research Seminar: Researching multilingualism and education for a global citizenship
Organised through CETAPS, Nova University Lisbon.

13 – 14 January 2023
Co-chair with Carolyn Leslie (FCSH/UNL)
8th TEFL Virtual Conference: Learning to communicate – communicating to learn: English language learning in formal education
Organised through CETAPS / FCSH, Nova University Lisbon.

13 July 2022
Co-organised with Catarina Castro (CETAPS)
CETAPS / TEALS 5th Advanced Research Seminar: On a verbal-visual continuum – approaches to data collection and analysis
Organised through CETAPS, Nova University Lisbon.

1-2 July 2022
Co-chair with Sónia Ferreirinha (APPI)
The ICEPELL Hybrid Conference
Organised through CETAPS / FCSH, Nova University Lisbon.

15 July 2021
Co-organised with Ana Leão (CETAPS)
CETAPS / TEALS 3rd Advanced Research Seminar: Research in progress – looking at the dark side
Organised through CETAPS, Nova University Lisbon.

24-25 June 2021
Co-chair with Karen Bennett (FCSH/UNL)
Picturebooks and graphic narratives in education and translation: Mediation and multimodality (online conference)
Organised through CETAPS / FCSH, Nova University Lisbon.

4 February 2021
Co-organised with Chrysi Rapanta (IFLNova)
CETAPS / TEALS 2ndAdvanced Research Seminar: Challenges, solutions and synergies
Organised through CETAPS, Nova University Lisbon.

12-14 November 2020
Co-chair with Carolyn Leslie (FCSH/UNL)
Teachers and teacher educators: Education and professional development for early language learning(online conference)
Organised through CETAPS / FCSH, Nova University Lisbon.

15-16 May 2019
Organising Committee
Multilingual Childhoods: Education, policy and practice
Organised through Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and Oslo Metroplitan University, Norway

8 June 2018
Co-organised with Rogério Puga (FSCH/UNL) and Ana Margarida Ramos (Universidade de Aveiro)
A One-day Seminar: Picturebooks and Graphic Narratives in the Classroom
Organised through FCSH, Nova University Lisbon.

26-27 November 2015
Organising comittee
Issues of Multilingualism in Early Childhood Education: Zero to Six
Organised through Roma Tre University, Italy

26-28 March 2015
Organising Committee
Child and the Book Conference: Children’s Literature – Fractures and Disruptions
Organised through Education Department, Universidade de Aveiro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CETAPS