 Hello! Welcome to the Handbook for Administrators of French Immersion Program Series. My name is Fred Kreiner. Let's get started with topic one, Understanding French Immersion. Under this topic, we'll be looking at the basics of French Immersion programs. What is offered here in Alberta as far as French language programs, the different settings that you can have in your school, some key characteristics, language learning, how and why French Immersion actually works, the goals of the program are, and finally, we'd like to provide you with some reassurance on how you can be the best French Immersion administrator possible, whether you speak a lot of French or not. In Alberta, there are basically three programs that are offered for students to develop their French language skills. The first is a Francophone program. This is designed for parents of Francophone students. As a French Immersion administrator, it's important that you're aware of any Francophone programs offered in your area, and you are required to make parents aware of the availability of those programs. A Francophone can exercise his or her right under the section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and has to note on their school's registration form that their child has the right to Francophone education. The parent may not choose to exercise that right at this time and register in a French Immersion program, but this is something that needs to be done as a declaration on a yearly basis. One of the major differences between Francophone schools and Immersion schools is that in a Francophone school, students are attempting to identify with the Francophone culture rather than just learning to appreciate it. In a French Immersion program, it is designed for students who do not have French as part of their family heritage. In this program, students are going to be focusing on appreciating French culture. It is designed for students who do not have French at home. And thirdly, there is a French as a second language program that is designed for students who want to learn French as a subject, along with the regular English curriculum. French Immersion basically has students taught a maximum number of subjects from kindergarten all the way through to grade 12 in French. Students follow the Alberta program of studies and can begin their immersion program either in early immersion, which would typically be in kindergarten or grade 1, in late immersion, which is typically in grades 6 or 7, and middle immersion also exists where students would begin in grade 4 or 5. You could also have a single-track school or an immersion centre where all students registered in the school would be following a French immersion program, or you could have a dual-track school where an immersion program is housed together with a regular English stream program, or possibly another alternative program making it a triple-track school. Some of the key characteristics is that the French immersion program really is not designed for families whose heritage is French. In fact, it is designed expecting that the students will not get any French support at home. Students begin the program usually with little or no French background or capabilities, and that is why it is important to have intensive instruction in French to get the kids developing some basic skills so that they can begin their learning not just of the language but of all of the curriculum. The language of instruction is to be French at all times. Teachers should not be repeating everything that is said in French in English. This will create students who become a little bit lazy and wait for the teacher to say it in English rather than focusing on the sounds and words they hear to develop their understanding. The French immersion program does follow the regular program of studies of Alberta with the inclusion of a French language arts component. Let's talk a little bit about language learning. Second language learning and first language learning are not necessarily the same, but there are some similarities as well. The children learn by interacting with their environment to satisfy their communication needs. At the beginning, this interaction involves approximations. It also includes taking some risks, negotiating meaning. To encourage students to communicate, the child needs to feel very safe and that is required is a secure environment where they can take risks and express themselves as best as possible without the fear of being laughed at or corrected in a negative way. Language is also learned globally. Students will learn about listening, speaking, writing and reading and they're all interwoven and not necessarily acquired in a linear fashion. If there are similarities between learning a first and second language, there are also differences. One of the major differences has to do with motivation. A child's motivation to learn a first language is usually very, very high. They want to get around in their environment. When you're learning a second language, the motivation is not always as strong because a student can always fall back to their first language skills. Knowing this has a significant impact on how teachers teach and they must be familiar with immersion pedagogy. They need to be able to create a safe environment where their students are comfortable and their attempts to use their second language will be rewarding to the student. They have to find authentic and motivating learning situations that will compel students to communicate in French and so motivation is a very, very important factor in second language instruction. Teachers also have to ensure that what's happening in the class is based on the learner's interests and needs as that will increase their motivation to use the target language. Why French immersion? Well, here's a few of the reasons why parents choose to put their students in French immersion programs and in late immersion why students may well choose to be in a French immersion program. This is a summary of a video, Advantage for Life. A hot link for that video is provided if you download this PowerPoint presentation. How does French immersion work? Well, it's interesting. Students learn the language. They learn about the language, but most importantly, the students actually learn the entire program of studies in mathematics, science, using French as the language of instruction. The combination of those three things brings about a student's French immersion experience. Just a note, all teachers teach language while they're teaching other subjects. In French immersion, the challenge is that you not only teach a language, you are teaching a second language to students as they learn their mathematics, social studies, science, and other programs of studies. What exactly are the goals? What do we expect of French immersion students? Well, they're certainly expected to understand all of the complementary and core courses that are provided in the Alberta program of studies. There is, however, something that is worth mentioning here. There is a myth that students have gained a functional fluency by the time they have hit grade 6 or grade 9. In order to be functionally fluent in the working world, students should complete a full French immersion program right until the end of grade 12. Another goal of the program is that they gain an understanding of Francophone culture. French immersion students are expected to willingly and easily participate in French conversations. However, they will not achieve native-like fluency that a Francophone student would. Typically, French immersion students will make small mistakes in the use of prepositions or in using masculine and feminine, but those shortcomings doesn't hinder their ability to communicate clearly a message or to understand a message that is provided to them by someone else. It is a hope that students would be able to pursue post-secondary education in French or accept employment where French is the language of work when they have completed a full high school program of French immersion. When we mention the words of full high school program, offering only French language arts and social studies does not constitute a full French immersion program at the high school level. What about you as an administrator? Do you need to speak French to be effective in your job? It isn't necessary. In fact, having a positive personal attitude about the language is more important than your ability to speak French. You also have to believe that French immersion is one of the best ways to learn a second language. If you believe that and have developed your knowledge through this series of workshops about how French immersion works, why it works, and what you can do to ensure it's successful, you can be a very effective administrator in a French immersion program. One of the important jobs that you have as a French immersion program is to advocate for the program, making sure that it's accessible and sustainable in your school. It's also important that you value the French language learning that is taking place in your school. Very simply, a visit to classrooms where you interact in French, even if it's through very simple sentences, will show both teachers and students that you value the fact that they are learning French and teaching French in the school. This is the first in a series of eight sessions to provide you with background information on the French immersion program. The entire series is directly tied to the Handbook for French Immersion Administrators 2010 published by Alberta Education. Specifically in this section, I have covered Chapter 1, Sections B to E, and Chapter 5, Section 8. The French Immersion Administrators Handbook is available online, and I invite you to consult that to further your knowledge of the French immersion program.