DR. MARTINE PELLERIN
Campus Saint Jean, University of Alberta
Inclusion and diversity – Is French Immersion up to date and ready for a new era?
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French Immersion programs across the country continue to see exponential growth. Despite its ongoing popularity and high demand, the French Immersion program (FI) also faces many critiques. One of the major arguments about FI still lies in its lack of inclusiveness. In the last two decades, teacher’s exclusionary practices have been highlighted (e.g. Muhling &Mady). Many researchers (e.g. Bourdoin; Genesee; Wise) over the last decade have also argued for the need for more inclusive policies in French immersion programs. However, most of the issues related to the lack of inclusivity in French Immersion have been concerned mainly with special needs students. Authors (e.g. Moore, 2016) have argued for greater cultural diversity within the programs. The FI program was first developed in the province of Quebec (Montreal) in response to a desire of English-speaking parents to have their children become fluent in French. The program was first offered in Alberta in the early 70s. After 55 years of being first developed, its main objective to promoting bilingualism (French and English) across the country is no longer sufficient for a diverse Canadian population. There is a need to rethink French Immersion programs in order to better respond to the current student population that is more culturally and linguistically diversified. French immersion needs to be more aligned with new social, political and linguistic issues in Canadian society and be updated for a new era.
Martine Pellerin is a professor at the Faculté Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta. She holds the position of Vice-Dean, Research and Innovation. She has taught French immersion for over twenty years in Alberta. She teaches in the undergraduate program and in the master's program in education. Her research interests include oral language and the use of technologies in the classroom; inclusion in French immersion; digital literacy, and more recently online /hybrid immersion education during the COVID-19 and post pandemic. She partners with Canadian Parent for French (CPF) in promoting inclusive immersion programs. She is the author of the online resource 'Oral Capsules'.
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