Attendees share conversations with each other during the inaugural French as a Second Language Teacher Appreciation Event on May 25, 2023.
Showing off our Franco-fierté: The inaugural French as a Second Language Teacher Appreciation Event
The Faculty of Education had its Franco-fierté on full display last month as it held its first-ever French as a Second Language (FSL) Teacher Appreciation Event.
More than 80 people registered to attend the inaugural celebration, an event made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada under the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Official Language Instruction.
The event was formed in response to a desire for connection that was expressed by French teachers, according to Rosanne Abdulla, an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment between the Faculty of Education and the Department of French Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
“One of the main challenges they experience is a lack of community or a lack of support because sometimes they’re the only French teacher in their school,” said Abdulla.
“We really wanted to start building community among local French educators, so we’ve organized this event that we hope will become an annual celebration.”
The event had “a little bit of something for everyone,” said Abdulla. This included information booths set up by FSL partners at the Thames Valley District School Board, the London District Catholic School Board, and Western University’s French Immersion School.
There were also opportunities for networking, learning about FSL projects underway and providing feedback to inform similar events in the future.
The event was a reminder of the synergy between the Faculty of Education and the Department of French Studies, according to the department’s Chair Jean Leclerc.
“It’s very important. The Faculty of Education is where some of our graduate students go and where some of our students aim to be,” Leclerc said about holding events to recognize this relationship.
“We are often asked, ‘how do we become a French teacher?’ So, we need to work in collaboration, we need to find ways to make a direct path from the courses in French and the programs in French to the programs in the Faculty of Education.”
The event was equally important for Coleton Dénommé, who will start his journey with the Faculty of Education in September. Dénommé is pursuing a Bachelor of Education as he works toward becoming a French teacher.
“I just had a very pleasant conversation with a French teacher of seven-years… it was very interesting to ask, ‘What advice would you give to an incoming teacher candidate? What can you expect out of the career? What’s so important about teaching French?’” Dénommé said.
Growing up bilingual, Dénommé is grateful for his French roots and can’t wait to join the FSL teaching community.
“French has opened so many doors for me. I’d say almost every single job I ever had has been because I spoke French.”
The future is bright for FSL education
Thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the Faculty of Education has several exciting projects now underway that will support those working to become FSL educators.
This grant lasts from March 2023 to June 2024 and stems from the Ontario FSL Teacher Supply Challenge Fund launched earlier this year, which aims to “re-balance the pool of FSL teachers to increase the number eligible to teach at the elementary level.”
Through this financial support, the government has outlined four objectives:
- Enhance recruitment efforts.
- Remove barriers to accessing teacher education programs.
- Improve flexibility of teacher education programs.
- Remove barriers to retention or employment in FSL classrooms.
Enhance Recruitment Efforts
FSL enrollment has doubled for the incoming class of September 2023, when compared to the year prior. French teacher candidates now make up 25 per cent of the entire teacher education cohort.
The growing enrollment will be aided even further thanks to a digital marketing campaign now underway.
Francophone regions across the world are also being targeted through international recruitment efforts. These efforts are being carried out through ApplyBoard, a digital platform that helps students discover programs abroad and apply to study at the educational institutions that best meet their background and interests.
Paired with these international efforts is appropriate bridge training to help international students seek local employment in Canada.
Remove barriers to accessing teacher education programs
One of the Faculty’s most exciting projects on the horizon is an upcoming pilot project that will provide a direct entry pathway for those aspiring to enter the Bachelor of Education — Primary/Junior French program (PJ French).
This project centres around a new course, titled EDUC 5615 - French Fluency for Teaching, which will hold its first class this September.
The traditional linear pathway for entering PJ French has proven to be a huge barrier for students without a French major or minor in their undergraduate degree. The goal of EDUC 5615 is to provide a bridging course that will allow those with sufficient French proficiency to be accepted into PJ French, despite having not taken the usual prerequisites in university. This may include students who participated in French Immersion throughout elementary and secondary school, but didn’t continue with their French studies immediately upon entering university.
Improve flexibility of teacher education programs
The Faculty of Education now has Master Teacher Mentor groups specifically tailored to aspiring FSL teachers. These mentors are carefully selected, experienced instructors who work with teacher candidates while those candidates pursue their Bachelor of Education.
More French practicum opportunities have been made available, which is especially helpful for FSL teacher candidates, as they require these opportunities to graduate.
Guests from school boards will be invited to speak to classes, allowing FSL teacher candidates to gather valuable insight, and Communities of Practice have been developed to help faculty programs stay responsive to school boards’ needs.
Remove barriers to retention of employment in FSL classrooms
Tied into achieving the fourth and final objective outlined by the Ontario government is a plan to build a sense of community among local FSL educators, which kicked off with the inaugural FSL Teacher Appreciation Event.
Several free teacher professional development workshops will take place throughout the rest of the year and local FSL educators will also be invited to various opportunities to practice speaking French in a relaxed setting.
Another barrier will be removed with the reopening of Western’s DELF/DALF Centre this fall.
The Faculty of Education will work hand-in-hand with local school boards to improve onboarding for FSL teachers. There will also be work done to review and create new Additional Qualification (AQ) for FSL teachers, while promoting the ones currently available.
In the meantime, the Faculty of Education will reflect on the performance of these plans, be it through gathering feedback or reviewing results, all with the goal of ensuring the future is bright for FSL education.
