The Challenges of Teaching Immersion

Janice Aubry

BACKGROUND/PERSPECTIVES•CASLT • IISLE at Edmonton Public Schools• SLIC • Confucius Institute in Edmonton• Cervantes Institute Associated Centre• (Teacher, Consultant, Administrator)• (University Instructor of Preservice Teachers)• (Team Leader Languages at Alberta Education)

CONTEXT:EDMONTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

•79,539 students (K-12)•197 schools•Alternative programs since 1974•13 languages• L2 study required Grades 4-9*•40,610 students studying a language in addition to

English•12, 621 EAL/ESL/ELL• “Enabling” provincial language policy•Partnerships: China, Spain, Germany, France…etc.

LOTE ENROLMENTS: 40,610•French Immersion Programs: 3130•Bilingual (Partial Immersion) Programs: 3914•Extended Cree Program: 72•French as a Second Language (FSL): 27,371• International Language and Culture: 5370•Aboriginal Language and Culture (Cree): 531•Signed Language and Culture (ASL): 222

13 languages, 38 program streams

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Early and Continuing Immersion Program

Bilingual (Partial Immersion) Program

Late Immersion Program

Extended Program

12-Year Course Sequence

9-Year Course Sequence

6-Year Course Sequence

3-Year Course Sequence

IMMERSION AND BILINGUAL (PARTIAL IMMERSION)

PROGRAMS

• French Immersion▫ Early: 3037▫ Late: 93

• Extended Cree: 72

• Bilingual (Partial Immersion)▫ Arabic: 927▫ ASL (American Sign Language): 46▫ Chinese (Mandarin): 1760*▫ German: 583▫ Hebrew: 119▫ Spanish: 271*▫ Ukrainian: 162

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING IMMERSION?

THOUGHTS FROM A SCHOOL DISTRICT

PERSPECTIVES:WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

•Teachers•Principals • Immersion/Partial Immersion Teacher Consultants•My thoughts!

•Informal Survey…..“conversations”

TEACHERS’ THOUGHTS (27)•Resources (12)•Students engagement/valuing L2 (5)•Meeting diverse student needs (5)• Instructional time to teach “all” (2)•Teaching content effectively (1)•Teacher language proficiency (1)•Ensuring parent support (1)

PRINCIPALS’ THOUGHTS (13)•Supervision/support for teachers (4)•Pedagogy (3)• Inclusive ed./meeting diverse student needs (2)•Maintaining a school community (1)•Teacher language proficiency (1)• Instructional time (1) •Targets – What is a successful program? (1)

CONSULTANTS’ THOUGHTS (3)•Ensuring teachers maintain target language

exclusively (2)•Teacher pedagogy (1)

MY PERSPECTIVE – TODAY!

System

School/Classroom

MY PERSPECTIVE: CHALLENGES Classroom level:•Ensuring meaningful, relevant, engaging approaches

to produce

engaged, functional students

MY PERSPECTIVE: CHALLENGES Classroom level:

•Ensuring effective and welcoming

inclusive classrooms

(for example, ensuring good support/interventions for students of diverse needs across our range of languages)

MY PERSPECTIVE: CHALLENGES Classroom level:

[Technologies….]

distracters versus effective integration of technologies - to have a measurable impact on

improving student achievement

MY PERSPECTIVE: CHALLENGESSystemic Level:

• Impact of baby boom:▫Volume of new teachers and principals

Teachers: proficiency, pedagogy, knowledge of model Principals: Standards, supervision, continuous

improvement in achievement, quality

Systemic Level:Ensuring ongoing, continuously improving, consistent ,quality programming across the system that ensures excellent student achievement

Standards, measuresLeadership and teachers trainingProgram alignmentEtc.

PROGRAMMING

MY PERSPECTIVE: CHALLENGES

STRATEGIES ARE IN PLACEExamples:• Strategic Plans with concrete activities, such as: ▫ Resourcing:

Resource acquisition ,development, Centres▫ Inclusive education:

Consultant support, modules, lit reviews, symposium▫ Technologies:

Research/lit reviews, technologies playground, training▫ Literacy

Interventions research and programs▫ Leadership/capacity development

Leadership Sessions, Institutes, Networks, Courses Quality Standards, tools, training

…..AND MORE!

CLOSING THOUGHTS…•The successful Canadian French Immersion model

was adapted to other languages in the prairie provinces beginning in the late 1970’s, with great and increasing success

•Today, this model is used throughout the world in many countries, with expanding momentum and great success•Dr. Lambert and his team were foundational

contributors to this movement.