 Welcome to our webinar entitled Getting to Know Your FSL 9-Year Program of Studies with Michelle Diabru. This webinar is brought to you by the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium and the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia as a result of the grant from Alberta Education. For information on other upcoming learning opportunities, please visit our website at www.erlc.ca. My name is Siobhan Murphy and I will share a few brief messages before I hand the mic over to our presenter. A webinar is an audio and visual seminar, so in a moment you will be able to hear our presenter and see the visuals that go along with the presentation. You may use the buttons at the bottom left of your screen to pause and replay the webinar at any time. During this webinar, the presenter will be sharing a video clip. In order to view this clip, you will need to make sure your QuickTime player is updated. 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So, without further delay, ERLC is pleased to present Michelle Diabrou from the Institute for Innovation and Second Language Education in Edmonton Public Schools. Hello and bonjour. It is my pleasure to walk you through the Alberta French as a Second Language Nine-Year Program of Studies. This document guides the teaching and learning of FSL in our province. If you have a copy of the program of studies and wish to follow along, you will find page numbers indicated on the slides in order that you may do so more easily. My intention is to share some information, then provide opportunities to pause the webinar if appropriate, and allow for discussion amongst participants. If appropriate, this would be an opportune time to pause the webinar and introduce yourselves to other participants. The purpose of this webinar is to provide a brief overview of the Alberta FSL Nine-Year Program of Studies. This program of studies specifies from grade 4 to grade 12 what students in Alberta are expected to acquire as attitudes, and linguistic, cultural, and strategic knowledge as they develop and demonstrate their communicative skills. The goal of this webinar is that because of the information shared, participants will acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the purpose and intent of the French as a Second Language Nine-Year Program of Studies, how the program of studies is structured and organized, as well as the role that the Alberta Education FSL Program Articulation Documents play in supporting the program of studies. Let's start with defining what FSL means in the Alberta context. Most people know that FSL stands for French as a Second Language. It is often referred to as core French in other provinces. FSL is a course sequence where French is taught as a subject unto itself. Who are French as a Second Language students? The Alberta FSL Nine-Year Program of Studies is designed for all students in grades 4 to 12 who have little or no background in the French language or cultures. Students with special educational means and English language learners are not excluded. There is only one entry point in the Alberta FSL Nine-Year Program of Studies. While the reality many schools face is that students who enter and leave the FSL classroom at multiple points results in some confusion, the program of studies itself provides only for a grade 4 entry point. Students in Alberta can still access French as a Second Language courses in high school through the FSL Three-Year Program of Studies stream. In addition, some school jurisdictions offer their students FSL earlier than grades 4 through a locally developed curriculum. The Alberta FSL Nine-Year Program of Studies is constructed on a minimum of 95 hours per year in grades 4 to 9. This translates into 10% of the Alberta education recommended minutes of instruction or approximately 150 minutes per week. This can translate into 30 or 40 minutes of daily French instruction or 50 minutes of instruction three days a week. In high school, course time is based on the hours for credit system of 125 hours per course. FSL can be scheduled over a semester or as a full year course. When it comes to language of instruction, French as a Second Language is no different than any other Second Language course, which should be taught in the target language. French as a Second Language should be taught in French. I would invite you at this point to contemplate how you would answer this question. In your opinion, what is the purpose and intent of the FSL Nine-Year Program of Studies? For those of you using the archived version of this webinar, now might be a good time to pause for a discussion about the question amongst participants. The French as a Second Language Nine-Year Program of Studies states that the overarching goal of this program of studies then is to develop students who are sufficiently competent in French so that they can function in the language and culture outside of the confines of the classroom. The overarching goal very specifically and unequivocally states that the overarching goal is about what students are able to do in the language and culture in authentic communicative situations. This overarching goal has profound implications for what happens in an FSL classroom at every level. From the first day of grade four to the last day of grade 12, our target must be that we prepare our students to use all that they are learning in our FSL classrooms in realized situations to accomplish authentic communicative tasks. In grade four, this might look like greeting a peer or an elder appropriately, being able to read a school supply list needed for French class, or exchanging information with a new friend about their family members. In French 30, it may mean that a student can prepare a resume in French in order to apply for a job, or could compare with a francophone or a French e-pal, the kinds of music that adolescents prefer where each lives. These goals are far different than those of traditional FSL classrooms of the past, where too often we stopped at teaching students a list of all the classroom supplies in French, or had students fill out textbook exercises on which skills were necessary for which jobs using the appropriate conjugation of verb tenses. The shift in thinking from inside the FSL classroom to outside forces us to recognize that an over emphasis on French songs, games, worksheets, fashion parades, and oral presentations is of limited use to our students in the real world. The overarching goal requires that we go beyond these traditional practices. I emphasize the purpose and intent of the program of studies as delineated in the overarching goal because we will see later that the specific grade level outcomes do not always clearly reveal this intention to all teachers. Some teachers thus focus too heavily on what students should know instead of what they should be able to do. This apparent gap between the purpose and intent of the program of studies and the specific grade level outcomes is bridged in Alberta by the FSL program articulation documents. More about these later. This may be an appropriate place to pause the webinar to allow for discussions amongst participants. In our program of studies, as in any other, we find general outcomes. These, along with the overarching goal, express the purpose and intent of the FSL program of studies. They provide the lens through which we interpret, plan for, teach, and assess the grade level specific outcomes. The four general outcomes can be found on page 11 of the 2004 Alberta FSL nine-year program of studies. We will look at each general outcome individually and examine how it aligns with and support the overarching goal of functionality in the French language and culture of being able to communicate competently for a variety of authentic purposes. The communication general outcome states that students will use their knowledge of French to understand and or to express a message effectively in various situations for a variety of purposes. So this general outcome tells us what students will use, what they will do, how they will do it, where and why. We see that the words understand and or to express a message align with our overarching goal of functioning in the language and culture. The language general outcome tells us what students will do with all the vocabulary and grammar and other linguistic elements that they will learn in grades 4 to 12. It states that students will use with accuracy knowledge of linguistic elements of the French language to fulfill their communicative intents. Again, this general outcome tells us what the students will use, how they will use it, and what they will do. And what we find when we examine what students will do to fill their communicative intents, we see that this also aligns with the overarching goal. It is worth noting that the communicative intents that are to be fulfilled belong to the students and not the teacher. The culture general outcome guides what students will know and be able to do when it comes to culture. It states that students will use their knowledge of different Francophone cultures and their own culture to be able to interact appropriately within these cultures. Again, the general outcome tells us what students will use, their knowledge, what they will do, and how they will do it. What students will do is interact. This culture general outcome also aligns with the overarching goal. The last general outcome, language learning strategies, gives purpose to the strategic knowledge at each grade level. It states that students will use their knowledge of strategies to enhance learning and to communicate in French. The strategies general outcome tells us what students will use and what they will do with it. Again, not only are they enhancing their learning, but they're using strategies to communicate in French. Another perfect alignment with the overarching goal. By reviewing the FSL nine-year program of studies general outcomes of communication, language, culture, and language learning strategies, we can see that they all align with and support the overarching goal of functional communication. As with any other program of studies in any other subject, the general outcomes must shape the way the specific outcomes are interpreted and they must act as lenses through which we look at those specific outcomes when we plan, teach, and assess FSL learning at every grade level. As we will see later, sometimes teachers do not clearly see the relationship between the general outcomes and the specific outcomes at each grade level. Again, this apparent gap is bridged by the FSL program articulation documents, which reorganize the specific outcomes in such a way that they do reflect the purpose and intent of the program of studies, as outlined not only by the general outcome, but also the overarching goal. Now that we have a good sense of the purpose and intent of the FSL program of studies, which is the idea of functioning in the language and culture beyond classroom walls, let's take a closer look at the structure of the program of studies document. There are three distinct parts. The front matter, the specific grade level outcomes, and the glossary and appendix. We start with the front matter, which is in any program of studies in any subject does the heavy lifting. And also, as with any program of studies, it is often overlooked by time-strapped teachers who tend to turn to their specific grade level outcomes. The front matter of the FSL nine-year program of studies is organized into the following sections. The introduction, rationale, philosophy, definition of outcomes, and the general outcomes. We will examine each briefly. Please feel free to follow along if you choose in your program of studies. The page numbers are included at the bottom of each slide. The introduction section of the front matter defines FSL as a course sequence in which the French language is taught as a subject. It states that research shows that a second language is best taught between 30 and 40 minutes per day over the course of a school year. The introduction recounts the history of second language teaching since the 1960s. In the 60s and 70s, linguistic competence, meaning the knowledge of grammatical rules, was emphasized. In the 80s, more stress was placed on communicative competence or the ability to communicate a message. In the 90s, second language programs emphasized experiencing language in context and communicating authentic messages. Second language curricula currently have combined former approaches and have become performance-based in the 21st century. The introduction here tells us that the 2004 FSL course sequence represents this type of performance-based curriculum. This means that students are to use their life experiences, knowledge, skills and attitudes as a basis for developing their second language communicative abilities for real-life purposes. And since language is embedded in culture, students in a performance-based curriculum will acquire the cultural knowledge needed to gain a better understanding of Francophone cultures and their own. Because the specific grade level outcomes are not clearly identifiable by some teachers to be performance-based, the FSL program articulation documents help teachers interpret them in such a way. The introduction also identifies the primary difference between the 1992 and 2004 FSL program of studies. The current program of studies more clearly defines what students are to demonstrate in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes at each level. Lastly, the introduction identifies what the program of studies aims to promote in students, ranging from a desire to learn French for personal benefit to a respect for cultural and linguistic diversity. The rationale section of the front matter describes the benefits afforded by FSL to students and to society in general. The benefits to students of being able to understand and use French are both of personal and academic nature and are an important aspect of being a Canadian and a global citizen. Society benefits from the contribution of citizens who are both bilingual and bicultural by breaking down cultural barriers, fostering goodwill and mutual respect as well as by providing economic advantages and a multitude of services. The philosophy section of the front matter further defines the purpose and intent of the program of studies. The description of the program of studies components tells us that the learner outcomes are centered around four components which are interwoven in the teaching and learning process. The experience communication component which includes the field and subfields and the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The language component which deals with the linguistic elements making up the French language. The culture component which also includes intercultural skills and knowledge and the language learning strategies component. This section goes on to describe in more detail each of the components which we will examine when we look at the specific grade level outcomes. Some of the more important pieces of information in the philosophy section of the front matter include all components and all skills are of equal importance. Students learn to communicate through the processes of comprehension, production and negotiation. Negotiation is an interactive process where participants interpret the meaning of the message and create new messages in reaction to this interpretation. Some teachers find this negotiation of meaning difficult to accomplish when focusing exclusively on the specific outcomes at a grade level. The program articulation document helps teachers reorganize the specific outcomes in such a way that students can interact with the French and thus experience the negotiation process as described in the front matter. Another important point made in this section, comprehension, precedes and exceeds production. Thus different skills are emphasized at different points in the learning process. The philosophy section of the front matter reinforces the idea that information and communication technologies are used in French outside the classroom for real life purposes and that their use can enhance student communication as well as their knowledge and skills of these technologies. Language competency speaks to the need for students to be actively involved in all four language skills in authentic communicative situations in order to acquire language. It also informs us that students will progress at different rates and that language opportunities must include opportunities to acquire language for the cycling of language skills and knowledge and their subsequent expansion and refinement through active use in authentic communicative situations. It is also in this section on page 11 that we find the overarching goal of the Alberta FSL nine year program studies. Lastly, the philosophy section of the front matter addresses the essential role of a variety of assessment practices in the teaching and learning process and that students require regular feedback on their progress. It also states that the grade level outcomes in conjunction with the general outcomes indicate what students are expected to demonstrate at each grade level and that these programs provide the sole basis for assessment. This may be an appropriate place to pause the webinar to allow for discussion amongst participants. This section of the front matter defines the learner outcomes of the program studies. They emphasize the student's ability to understand, express and negotiate meaning through spoken and written texts that closely relate to the actual use of French throughout life. Another nod to the overarching goal. As we've seen the general outcomes describe the overarching goals of the program. The specific outcomes define the requisite linguistic, cultural, intercultural and strategic knowledge and communicative skills for each grade. As we've seen before, these outcomes are organized in cycles that see them, especially the linguistic elements introduced in one grade, developed in the next grade and refined in subsequent grades. This section informs us that all fields and subfields must be addressed at each grade level. This may be an appropriate place to pause the webinar to allow for discussion amongst participants. Let's move away now from the front matter of the program of studies to the specific grade level outcomes. If you are following along in your own copy of the program of studies, you can turn to the first page of any grade level. All grades are organized in the same fashion meaning in five parts or components, four of which correspond to the general outcomes of communication, language, culture and language learning strategies. Experience, which we saw in the philosophy section of the front matter, is intricately connected to communication and it is the first component we see at any grade level. We will now take a look at each component separately. The fields of experience component provide the framework for language acquisition, meaning they provide the context for communication as well as linguistic, cultural, intercultural and strategic knowledge. The fields of experience represent different dimensions of a student's relationship with their environment, such as physical, social, civic, intellectual, and leisure dimensions. The fields of experience are organized by grade level and are reintegrated expanded and solidified at subsequent grade levels. Because the fields of experience are broad by nature, they are further divided into subfields. Many of the fields in subfields are related to other subject areas such as math, social studies and comm, for example. One way teachers can think about the fields of experience is to remember that the goal is not to study a topic in French, but instead it is to be able to function in the French language and culture within that context. Teachers can approach a field of experience by first asking what might my students need or want to be able to say, understand, read or write about this topic that would allow them to communicate appropriately and competently in the French language and culture in a real-life situation. Teachers can then proceed with the planning of the teaching and learning that needs to take place in order to achieve those targets. If we take, for example, a grade four student, this might mean that instead of approaching the subfield of classroom supplies as merely a lexical field, meaning that the student learns the words for the objects and then moves on, we would first ask what might that student need to communicate within the context of classroom objects that would allow him to function outside the classroom as well as his knowledge within. In this way, we are obligated to consider such communicative functions as expressing a need to borrow an object or identifying supplies he needs for French class or responding to oral instructions to take out the supplies necessary for the task. The words are still needed to accomplish the task, but vocabulary is not enough. Our student only makes it to the door of a proverbial classroom but does not have the tools or the capacity to function beyond its confines. Another important idea for teachers to remember as they plan for FSL learning experiences that best meet the needs and interests of their students is the idea that although the field and subfield that specific outcomes are mandated, the time of instruction devoted to each field is not. Teachers can best make professional decisions about what students should be able to do to function appropriately in the French language and culture within a specific field, designate the time needed to accomplish the task and then move on to another field or area of interest to their students. What we see when we look at the specific grade level outcomes of the fields of experience is an oft overlooked line and other areas of interest. This subtle but important line gives teachers room to meet the needs and interests of their own students in any given year. The communication component is divided into four language skills. The two comprehension skills of reading and listening and the two production skills of writing and speaking. At each grade level there are four communication outcomes, one for each skill. Despite their critical importance as vehicles for carrying out the purpose and intent of this FSL program of studies as expressed in the overarching goal and general outcomes, the communication outcomes can tend to be overlooked by some teachers. This could be for several reasons. There are relatively fewer number at only four communication outcomes compared to the far greater number of other specific outcomes, which for example in grades four to six, number almost 200. The subtle and sometimes even no significant difference in the communication outcome wording and expectations from grade to grade. A perceived lack of guidance in the communication outcomes as to how to ensure interactive communication and the negotiation meaning described in the front matter. And even the lack of French language proficiency or second language pedagogy amongst some FSL teachers make it easier or more comfortable to focus on the vocabulary and grammar associated with the field of experience. Regardless, the Alberta Education FSL program articulation documents can, where needed, help teachers ensure that the communication outcomes as intended in the overarching goal and general outcomes remain at the core of FSL teaching and learning at every grade level. What we generally see happen within the communication component over the nine years of the program of studies as we go from elementary FSL to high school is a movement from communication that is generally quite concrete, simple, and highly structured and defined and exhibiting little to no spontaneity from students to a more abstract complex and accurate communication which requires less structure and modeling and exhibits a higher degree of spontaneity. In order to carry out authentic communicative tasks, students require a repertoire of linguistic tools or elements that they will use to understand others' messages and can say their own. These linguistic tools include such elements as sounds, symbols, vocabulary, grammatical rules, and word order amongst others and are prescribed at each grade level. They are also in keeping with the field of experience. In grades four to nine, the language component is divided into two subcomponents, the sub-long of or knowledge of vocabulary and language concepts and the sub-long of fire or the application of these vocabulary and language concepts. In grades 10 to 12 or French 10, 20, 30, the two components are knowledge of language concepts and application of vocabulary and language. The language component outcomes also tell us that the purpose of the linguistic elements is to communicate a message. It specifies in elementary that language is to be used mainly orally and sometimes in writing. From grade seven onwards, the outcome speaks of students using the linguistic elements in oral and written form. Although identified as separate components, language and culture are intertwined. Language without culture is merely words. Learning about cultures without language is a much less meaningful experience. In order to develop cultural knowledge and awareness, in this component students explore various aspects of francophone ideas, behaviors, cultural artifacts and symbols, lifestyles, and language variants at the local, provincial, national, and international levels. Sociominguistic conventions governing oral and written communications in French such as writing dates, times, abbreviations, etc. are also to be learned and demonstrated by students. By comparing and contrasting the information acquired about various cultures, students are made more aware of themselves and the other languages spoken in their environment. The development of intercultural skills and knowledge helps students become less ethnocentric while at the same time confirming their own cultural identity and promoting global citizenship. One way that SSL teachers who are often not francophone themselves can approach the cultural component of the program of studies is by focusing on the verb within each outcome. Some teachers find that this gives them guidance on cultural knowledge and skills that they themselves may not feel comfortable with. Language learning strategies help students not only enhance their learning but also to communicate in French. The strategies component is divided into three parts. The first part provides students with strategies to understand what they are hearing or reading in French. The comprehension strategies. The second health strategies helps students produce oral and written language. The last set of strategies helps students memorize vocabulary, grammatical structures, and expressions needed to understand or produce messages. The use of language learning strategies is as individual as the student. Therefore they do need to be taught explicitly to students so that they can sort and reflect upon which ones work best for them as individual learners. Because of the individual nature of strategic learning, the use of strategies should not be graded. SSL teachers may be interested in knowing that many of the strategies found at each grade level are similar and that the focus is that students develop an ever increasing repertoire of strategies to facilitate their French language learning. This may be an appropriate place to pause the webinar to allow for discussion amongst participants. There are two other parts to the program of studies in addition to the front matter and grade level specific outcomes. The glossary defines many of the terms used throughout the program of studies. The appendix outlines a suggested breakdown of the grades four to nine fields of experience, holidays, and celebrations. Teachers should note that these are suggestions only and that they can be changed to suit the needs and interests of students. Also of note, most holidays and celebrations require only a few classes to address the outcomes associated with them. One way to better understand how the components and general outcomes of the FSL nine year programs of study relate to each other as well as the role each place is to use an analogy. We can imagine the program of studies as a car with four passengers. The destination for our car and all passengers communicative competence are functioning in the French language and culture in the real world. We will now view a short video that examines each passenger during the car and their role in getting us to the destination. Comparing the French as a second language nine year program of studies to a car on a journey on its way to functional language proficiency helps many teachers clarify the roles of each general outcome and firmly establishes communication as the driver. This may be an appropriate place to pause the webinar to allow for discussion about the car analogy video amongst participants. It has been mentioned several times throughout this webinar that for some FSL teachers there appears to be an apparent gap between the purpose and intent of the FSL nine year program of studies in Alberta as clearly defined in the front matter especially the overarching goal and general outcome of the program of studies. We can imagine the grade level specific outcomes. Alberta education has created a bridging document called the program articulation which reorganized the specific outcomes so that they better align with the purpose and intent of the program of studies. Information on how to download these documents at the end of this webinar. To conclude I would like to revisit the goals set out at the beginning of this webinar. Please note that the last slide will show website addresses where you can view and download the FSL program of studies as well as the FSL program articulation documents. What I hope you took away from this webinar is a better understanding that the purpose and intent of the nine year program of studies is functional linguistic proficiency that students at each and every level, grade level, learn enough French so that they can accomplish tasks appropriately from a linguistic and cultural perspective both inside and outside the classroom. Tasks as simple as indicating a need such as what I could take as a reference I like pepperoni on my pizza to convincing a friend to see one movie over another or passing an interview in French. This purpose and intent provides a lens through which the specific outcomes are to be interpreted, taught and learned at each grade level. This webinar was also intended to explain that the FSL nine year program of studies is organized into the front matter which explains the purpose and intent and philosophy of the program of studies. The specific grade level outcomes organized into five components. The first being the field and subfield of experience. These provide the context for communication and are not units of study in themselves. And four other components which align with the general outcomes. Communication consisting of the four skills of written and oral production and reading and listening comprehension. The language component which provides the linguistic elements assigned at each grade level. The culture component consisting of cultural knowledge and skills as well as intercultural knowledge and skills. And lastly the language learning strategies component which provide production, comprehension and memorization strategies for learning and communicating in French. The program of studies also includes a glossary of terms and an appendix suggesting a breakdown of holidays and celebrations in grades four to nine. The last goal of this session was to create a better understanding of why the FSL program articulation documents can act as a bridge between the purpose and intent, the program of studies and the grade level specific outcome. Where functional linguistic proficiency and competence is not always obvious to all teachers. Thank you for joining this webinar today. Look for other upcoming ERLC webinars about the Alberta Education FSL program articulation documents as well as assessment in FSL amongst other webinars. Please note that my contact information and the website addresses will appear on the last slide. They can also be found in the Word document handouts at the ERLC Wiki. Thank you.