French immersion (FI) programs in Canada have historically served predominantly Canadian-born, English-speaking students and families in their endeavour to learn both of the country's official languages, French and English. However, FI programs are becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse as a result of increased global…

Translanguaging practices come into play in social interactions between bilinguals when they are making use of all their shared linguistic resources and blending their languages in natural ways. Stemming from these practices is translanguaging pedagogy, which is designed so that students in school-based additive bilingual programs can benefit from…

The Syilx Language House has completed two years of a four-year, 2,000-hour program to create new adult Nsyilxcn speakers, based on Syilx communities' specific priorities. Our critically endangered status requires radically decolonizing teaching techniques. Nsyilxcn (Okanagan) teachers are learners, trained to deliver sequenced curriculum in full…

A survey of research on French as a second language (FSL) education in Canada suggests that French immersion (FI) students enjoy significant linguistic, academic, and cognitive benefits. We organize our summary of the advantages of FI around these three themes, comparing students' proficiency in French and English across various FI programs, and…

This article examines the sociolinguistic competence of French immersion students. We first present an overview of the range of variation found in L1 speech and make a distinction between vernacular, informal, formal, and hyper-formal variants. We then compare the use of these forms in the speech of Canadian francophones and Grade 9 and 12…

Needs of French immersion programs in Alberta, Canada, are discussed, including teachers, preservice and inservice teacher training, instructional materials, program accessibility, support organizations, research and evaluation, administrative and political support, school and school district support services, secondary school programs,…

The structure and programs of the multilingual European Schools network are outlined, focusing on the role of language in the curriculum. The schools' linguistic outcomes are compared with those of Canada's immersion programs. The use of social engineering to foster multilingual contacts is discussed. (MSE)

Secondary school French immersion programs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are outlined, and some causes of student attrition are discussed. Institutional, societal, and individual variables are related to the situation; suggestions on provisions for immersion students' special French language needs on the postsecondary level are offered. (AMH)

As part of a quiet revolution, language immersion has been important in establishing confidence in the creation of bilingualism through education. The momentum of this movement can be maintained through improvements in French immersion, core French, emphasis on minority and foreign languages, and a new approach to university language curriculum.…

Describes immersion weekends sponsored by the University of Calgary. The discussion includes examples from actual weekends to describe the planning and implementation. A qualitative evaluation is also discussed. (Author/AMH)

Illustrates how the pedagogical strategies of French immersion teachers are shaped by various aspects of those teachers' representations of language. (35 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the need to use the "communicative approach" to teach French grammar in French immersion classes in Canada. Emphasis is placed on the value of using a "needs-based syllabus" that considers the immediate and long-term employment needs of each individual, as well as the psychological and developmental needs. (18…

The design, implementation, and evaluation of a British Columbia program to retrain French teachers in immersion instruction is described. The program's impetus was the need for pedagogically qualified and linguistically competent immersion teachers. (21 references) (Author/MSE)

Reports on the speech difficulties of four French immersion anglophone students participating in a three-month interlinguistic exchange. Each student was interviewed three times, and the transcripts were analyzed for linguistic, sociolinguistic, and sociocultural errors in oral French and for performance evaluation by the students. (51 references)…

Discusses the Tri-University Conference on Languages, Literacy, and Education held at Faculte Saint Jean of the University of Alberta in October 1988. Conference goals were to discuss issues that pertain to literacy and academic achievement in minority and second-language programs and to make recommendations for teacher preparation to improve…