ERIC Number: EJ1172728
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
EISSN: N/A
Integrated Content, Language, and Literacy Instruction in a Canadian French Immersion Context: A Professional Development Journey
Cammarata, Laurent; Haley, Corey
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v21 n3 p332-348 2018
Although immersion programs are very popular in Canada, they are complex to implement and not as successful as we would hope them to be when it comes to the development of students' language skills. This article reports on the findings of a case study conducted within the context of an ongoing five-year grant funded project in Western Canada whose overarching goal was increased student achievement through targeted professional development (PD) intervention. The specific intervention, a year and a half-long PD program based on an adapted integrated framework for curricular development (Cammarata, Laurent. 2016. "Foreign Language Education and the Development of Inquiry-driven Language programs: Key Challenges and Curricular Planning Strategies." In "Content-based Foreign Language Teaching: Curriculum and Pedagogy for Developing Advanced Thinking and Literacy Skills," edited by Laurent Cammarata, 123-143. New York: Routledge/Taylor Francis) and a Lesson Study model, was designed for 15 participating grades 6-12 French immersion teachers. It aimed at increasing their ability to craft and implement well-integrated instructional modules in order to better support students' linguistic and literacy skills development during subject-matter instruction. Data collected for this study exploring teachers' experience of appropriating and implementing the integrated approach included co-constructed lesson plans, classroom observations, focus-group debriefing sessions, and surveys. Findings indicate that long-term and sustained PD interventions organized around collaborative work can have a positive effect on teachers' ability to counterbalance content and language/literacy instruction. Important variables to ensure success are discussed and implications for immersion PD are shared.
Descriptors: French, Faculty Development, Teaching Methods, Course Content, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Immersion Programs, Case Studies, Academic Achievement, Language Teachers, Intervention, Program Descriptions, Language Skills, Literacy, Lesson Plans, Observation, Focus Groups, Surveys, Teacher Collaboration, Secondary School Students, Secondary School Teachers, Longitudinal Studies, Language of Instruction
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A