The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in French immersion teacher education

Arnott, Stéphanie; Vignola, Marie-Josée

doi:10.1075/jicb.17008.arn

“…Although L2 teacher education research has promoted dialogic practices that are enmeshed with classroom realities, how this is reflected in teacher education programs remains underexplored (Johnson, 2015). Indeed, in the Canadian context, numerous challenges and gaps have been identified relating to the preparation (Arnott & Vignola, 2018;Huhn et al, 2021), mentorship (Kastelan-Sikora, 2013Muhling, 2016), and the retention of FSL teachers (Masson et al, 2019;Swanson, 2012) within specific institutional and regional contexts (for more information on second language education in Canada generally, see Early et al, 2017).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, not all language teacher education programs in Canada require any language proficiency assessments upon admission, and instead rely on grade point averages (GPAs; Masson, Spiliotopoulos, et al, 2021). Such approaches may overlook that teachers' investment in their professional practice requires support that extends throughout the teacher education program (Arnott & Vignola, 2018) and takes into account professional identity and sense of belonging (Masson, 2018;Wernicke, 2017). A lack of recognition for this development can contribute to attrition and retention issues both in the program and the profession.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although we certainly do not advocate for testing students at every turn, nor for using language proficiency results as a hard-and-fast rule for success in the program, we wonder about the extent that ITEs are responsible or accountable for teacher candidates' linguistic competence upon graduation. Initiatives such as the language portfolio or other types of portfolio-based assessment for teachers can provide a more developmental approach toward preparedness and transition upon graduation (Arnott & Vignola, 2018;Christiansen & Laplante, 2004;Turnbull, 2011).…”

Section: Graduation Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Course or a Pathway? Addressing French as a Second Language Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Canadian BEd Programs

Smith

¹

,

Masson

²

,

Spiliotopoulos

³

et al. 2022

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Institutions strive to offer programs that address both the needs of the educational system and incorporate current pedagogical research. Creating a program that is relevant, inspiring, and accessible to aspiring French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers, while also equipping them with the skills and knowledge deemed necessary by the education system, is a delicate balancing act. This study reviewed 44 FSL teacher education programs that lead to professional certification across Canada. Environmental scans drew information from the program websites related to admission requirements, program structure and content, practicum, and graduation criteria. Follow-up interviews with program stakeholders were conducted to verify or clarify the data. The results highlight the inconsistencies that exist among programs for developing FSL educators. We position the ways in which Canadian faculties of education might provide a more holistic “pathway” approach to recruiting, preparing, and retaining emerging FSL teachers.

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“…In response to the variability in French proficiency -which has been identified by other researchers as an area requiring empirical attention (Arnott & Vignola, 2018;Bayliss & Vignola, 2007;Day & Shapson, 1996;Flewelling, 1995) -ACPI proposed 15 suggestions for consideration. Suggestions implicating teacher training take the form of proposed certificates (one in the L2 and the other in immersive teaching) to validate student teachers' efforts to develop their language skills in tandem with their FSL specialization.…”

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along these lines, Arnott and Vignola (2018) highlighted the importance of "continued development of FI teacher candidates' language proficiency" (p. 322). They proposed the use of a professional language portfolio adapted from the European Language Portfolio (Council of Europe, 2018b)a tool inspired by the CEFR.…”

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Immersion in Minority Language Contexts: Canada and Finland

Mård-Miettinen¹,

Arnott²,

Vignola³

2020

Springer International Handbooks of Education

Self Cite

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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.

show abstract

Early Immersion in Minority Language Contexts: Canada and Finland

Mård-Miettinen

¹

,

Arnott

²

,

Vignola

³

2022

Springer International Handbooks of Education

Self Cite

1

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in French immersion teacher education

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

A Course or a Pathway? Addressing French as a Second Language Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Canadian BEd Programs

A Course or a Pathway? Addressing French as a Second Language Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Canadian BEd Programs

Early Immersion in Minority Language Contexts: Canada and Finland

Early Immersion in Minority Language Contexts: Canada and Finland

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