Ébauche sur le programme de français Andy Chou
Ébauche sur le programme de français
Introduction
This paper gives a brief overview of the history, statistics, teaching philosophy and program structure of French Immersion in British Columbia, the program in which I am currently teaching. French Immersion is offered in public schools in B.C. in order to provide the opportunity for non-francophone students to become bilingual in both English and French. The end goal is to become fully bilingual in both English and French by the end of Grade 12 (M12[MW1][AC2][AC3]anitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, 1996).
History of French Immersion in CanadaBritish Columbia[MW4]
French Immersion first began in 1965 in St. Lambert, Quebec, when a group of parents approached the Department of Education in Quebec in an attempt to implement a program where their children could learn French in a classroom in a completely French environment (Doyle). The French Immersion program in British Columbia started 49 years ago? in 1968 in Coquitlam, School District 43 (Cleugh, 2014). It began with a group of 32 French Immersion kindergarten students in School District 43. which later expanded to 2667 students by 1991. (Canadian Parents for French, CPF).
By 1999, there were ~30,000 in French Immersion students in B.C. and seventeen years later, today, there are well over 52,000 students (Canadian Parents for French, CPF).[MW5]
French Immersion Statistics
The table below shows statistics of enrollment in French Immersion between school years 2002-2013.13. [MW6]
By looking at the table above, there were a total of 47,857 students enrolled in French Immersion in B.C.in school year 2012-2013, accounting for 8.5% of the total public school population.While the total enrollment of students in schools decreased almost every year since 2003, French Immersion enrolment has grown by 42.8% indicating an increased interest by parents to put their children in French Immersion.
The French Immersion Approach
The pedagogical approach of French Immersion is similar in both British Columbia and Manitoba. [MW7]According to the Ministry of Education of Manitoba, the French Immersion approach allows for an “active and practical acquisition of the French language through subject matter acquisition” (Ministry of Education of Manitoba, 2008[MW8]).The foundational French Immersion principle rests on the offering of a variety of school subjects in French (Turnbull et al., 1998).This approach can be explained inis based on two twofactorsways: a) using French as the medium of instruction and b) using French as the subject of instruction. The former entails that French is a tool that allows students to acquire knowledge from different subject areas and a tool for cognitive development including observation, exploration, problem-solving and critical thinking. The latter entails that French must also be taught as a language, putting the emphasis on vocabulary, grammar and other language skills (Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, 2008).
Besides offering all subject areas in French, French Immersion is taught using the Communicative Approach. The Communicative approach, as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of Education is based on a) emphasizing performance within language rather than knowledge about language, b) providing students with authentic experiences, c) creating an environment that emphasizes comprehension and d) acknowledging that culture and language are interconnected and interdependent). The goal is for teachers to use French as a medium to teach students and for students to use French as a tool for communicating, expressing and learning. The ministry also claims that French is also acquired through a) context and school environment and b) language and culture, meaning that the students’ social environment and their interactions with it will have an influence on their French language acquisition. For example, the oral component of French must be acquired through “interacting with their environment…in a rich linguistic environment, where communication is meaningful and centered on a variety of authentic tasks”[MW9] (Ministry of Education of Manitoba, 2008).[MW10]
Program Structure
In Early French Iimmersion, French is the main language of instruction for all subjects, with the exception of English Language Arts. In almost all cases, between grades K-2, students will receive 80%-100% of their instruction is delivered in French, by Grade 4,it is 80% or less, and by grade 12,French instruction falls to 25%. . Below is a table showing the approximate percentage ofpercentage [MW11]of instruction in French over the school years.
The content taught in the curriculum is similar to the regular English stream wi [MW12][AC13][AC14]with the biggest difference in French immersion being that the language of instruction is students’ second language and that all text books, resources, assignments are provided in French and homework is to be submitted in French.
My School District and Classroom
I am currently teaching Early French iImmersion at Laura Secord Elementary in a Grade 6/7 classroom in the Vancouver School District(SD 39), one of the largest and oldest school districts in British Columbia. It is a dual tracks school where both the regular English program, Early and Late French iImmersion programs are offered.
While I try to follow the teaching approaches, and the “French Iimmersion Model” described in the Ministry of Education’s documents, there are times when adaptations are necessary. For example, due to resource constraints this year, the grade 7 math was all taught in English instead of French due to the math textbooks and workbooks being available only in English. The grade 7 students therefore receive ~60% of their instruction in French and ~40% in English instead of the ministry prescribed standards.
Another example are the differences in “Context and environment” and “Language and culture” that French iImmersion students experience in single track French iImmersion schools and dual tracks English and French schools. In my school, all assemblies, announcements, events and sporting events are all conducted in English, the common language and medium of instruction for all students in the school. In a single-track French school however, all communication is done in French, and students are able to engage in more conversations and interactions in French each day.
References[MW15]
British Columbia Ministry of Education. Statistics on French Education in B.C. Retrieved from
Canadian Parents for French. Our History. Retrieved from .
Cleugh, J. (2014, Oct. 2). French iImmersion ranks high in Coquitlam school district. Tri-City News. Retrieved from .
Doyle G. French immersion in Canada. Retrieved from .
Luo, X. (2013) French Second Language programs in British Columbia and Yukon: Trends, challenges, and best practices. Retrieved from
Ministry of Education of British Columbia. French iImmersion Program. Retrieved from .
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. (1996). Curriculum Policy for the French Immersion Program, 1, 1-2.
Ministry of Education of ManitobaManitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. (2008). Curriculum Policy for the French Immersion Program, 3, 3-7.
Ontario Ministry of Education. Capacity Building Series. Retrieved from .
Turnbull, M., Lapkin, S., Hart, D., & Swain, M. (1998). Time on task and immersion graduates’ French proficiency. French second language education in Canada: Empirical studies (pp. 31-55). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
[MW1]a nice beginning
a reference is needed here
[AC2]
[AC3]
[MW4]Please begin with the history of FI in Canada before you focus on BC. A few sentences will do.
[MW5]it’s okay to cite CPF stats but first you should cite Stats Canada because they are not a lobby group and do not have the same interest in FI as does CPF
[MW6]please explain where these stats come from – i.e. where did the author find them
[MW7]Here also, before you focus on BC, provide a general description of the FI approach. This easily found in the research literature
[MW8]
you need to give page numbers if you include a quote from a source
voici une autre reference:
[MW9]page numbers
[MW10]okay so this is a good start, but you need to be reading some of the main authors who have researched French immersion in Canada:
Merril Swain, Sharon Lapkin, Roy Lyster, Fred Genessee, Jim Cummins, - in each of their articles they are likely to include a brief description of the theoretical approach of the program
[MW11]I would present these as a bit more flexible, despite the table below, just based on practice
[MW12]make sure immersion is not capitalized throughout the text.
[AC13]
[AC14]
[MW15]great – lots of policy documents; now you need to add research literature as noted above.