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In this presentation, I will address a fundamental problematic that we face in our French Immersion Programs. French Immersion Programs have been a very successful story all across the country for over 40 years now. Despite the immense popularity of the Program we are still faced with a fundamental dilemma. Our students basically achieve very strong academic results in our schools. Most parents perceive that entry into the Program leads to a direct route to success. The irony surrounding this success is that it does not translate directly into learner confidence and learner proficiency in all of the expected skills in language acquisition and progression.
Typically our learners demonstrate strong comprehension abilities in reading and listening. Even when they perceive that the tasks were complex, they usually achieve strong results. When it comes to the productive skills this is where the gap is more evident. Our typical French Immersion student is still reluctant and scared to speak and interact. Despite the fact that they are exposed to significant hours in French most of them do not build the confidence to pursue the skills of interaction and production orally and in written form.
How do we transform this culture and this scenario? That will be the essence of this presentation. I will address major shifts that must happen within the learning environment: The C Shift: moving from a content model to a competence model The Q Shift: moving assessment from a quantitative model to a quality model based on criteria. As this model of pedagogical shift is explained teachers will be exposed to a model where the teachers becomes an expert designer of Second Language Acquisition and Progression. The planning of the learning will focus on creating a balance within cycles where learners are exposed, acquiring and progressing in terms of interactions, productions and comprehension, orally and in written form. The common thread is that within the model oral proficiency and confidence is the central element.
In a very near future we are wanting to create a new prototype of French Immersion Learner. This learner will be very confident in speaking, oral interactions and oral comprehension. These three foundations will create a very skillful and confident French Immersion Student in th
