This study documents the experiences of anglophone French as a second language (FSL) teacher candidates during their pre-service program. The authors describe how this group of non-native FSL teacher candidates felt about the adequacy of their FSL skills, their need for some level of second language (L2) support, and the maintenance of their L2 skills during their teaching careers. Participants represented three teaching divisions (elementary through secondary school), interviewed separately in focus groups. Most students felt that their L2 skills were adequate. In all cases, students expressed a need for some form of FSL support; although they felt responsible for maintaining their L2 themselves, they recognized the need for some level of organizational support. Results are similar to those of studies of non-native ESL teachers and raise many issues that should be addressed in a wider forum to ensure the continuation and improvement of quality FSL education.

This article explores the efficiency of AIM (the accelerative integrated method), used in core French classes, by comparing the oral communication skills of Grade 3 French as a second language (FSL) students in a class using AIM to those of Grade 3 FSL students in a regular core French program. AIM has been gaining momentum across Canada since 2000; its objective is to bring FSL learners to a higher level of proficiency relative to other programs using communicative methods (Maxwell, 2001). AIM allows students to use French in context and differs from other teaching practices in its use of gestures corresponding to each word taught. In this study, data were collected during individual interviews. Our results show few significant differences between the AIM group and the non-AIM group.

Over 11% of Canadian students are currently enrolled in French immersion (FI) – a program where French is a subject of study and is the language of instruction in at least two content areas. Research shows that stakeholders in FI initial teacher education (ITE) programs identify French language proficiency development as an area of high priority; however, Canadian ITE programs do not typically provide linguistic support. This article reports on an adaptation and implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) (specifically, the European Language Portfolio [ELP]) as part of a remedial 24-week French writing course in an FSL ITE program focused on developing French proficiency. Student-teachers (n = 25) and the course instructor identified strengths and challenges associated with this initiative via surveys and interviews. Findings show participant convergence and divergence on the portfolio experience, raising implications for decision-making related to its use in ITE programs targeting FI teachers.

Candidates applying to the FSL teaching option at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa have to take tests of both their oral and written French skills as part of the entrance requirements, resulting in a low pass rate. This study examines the background factors which may be related to the development of their French proficiency in order to try to determine what makes a candidate successful on the test. Of the 63 candidates who participated, an almost equal number were successful (N = 33) and unsuccessful (N = 30), making it possible to do a variety of analyses regarding any differences in background factors between the two groups. Several factors were uncovered which appear to influence performance. The implications of the findings are discussed as well as the broader issues of what constitutes a valid French proficiency level for teachers and how to ensure that future candidates can meet that level.

This chapter discusses early immersion in a minority language in two bilingual countries, Canada and Finland. In Canada, immersion in the minority language, French, has been implemented since the mid-1960s and Finland introduced immersion in Swedish in the mid-1980s. As the core features of immersion education evolve in tandem with second language education theorizing (particularly as it relates to the interdependence and hybridity between and within languages), so too does the need to revisit the relevance of these core features across different contexts. In this vein, this chapter compares how changing socio-political realities in the two contexts have influenced program development in relation to three emergent areas: learner diversity, learning exceptionalities, and teacher training. It further highlights critical points of convergence and divergence in program development in the two contexts, showing that Finland and Canada have contributed to the field of early language education with complementary research findings related to a common guiding principle in both contexts -immersion for all. The two contexts, thus, have much to learn from one another in order to reach collective gains. The chapter ends with a call for ethnographic research to decipher how relevant policy statements are put into practice in early years classrooms, as well as continued empirical attention to the evolving reconceptualization of the prototypical immersion learner and teacher. Such consideration will work to optimize the universal access to immersion that is desired in Canada, Finland and other minority language immersion contexts.