Description
Course Details
Schedule and Format
- 8 lessons over 8 weeks that blend theory and practice:
- Synchronous 90-minute lessons on Tuesdays, 6:30–8 p.m. ET (Zoom)
- Asynchronous learning activities during the week
- First class: October 1, 2024
- Last class: November 19, 2024
Registration Fees
Registration includes a free digital copy of the Action-Oriented Approach Handbook. Participants who successfully complete a course will also receive a $20 gift card for CASLT’s online boutique.
Registration Type | Rate |
CASLT Member | $125 + tax |
Non-member* | $185 + tax |
*Includes a one-year CASLT membership.
Course Completion
All participants who finish the course successfully will receive a certificate of completion.
Participant Profile
Teachers of Core, Extended, or French Immersion programs who communicate with a B1 CEFR French proficiency level who wish to improve their linguistic skills in an inclusive and safe environment while learning ways to develop their pedagogical practice.
Placement
Registrants do not need to take a language assessment and may place themselves by reviewing the CEFR B1 description and can-do statements. All four proficiency courses will run at the same time, so instructors may use their discretion to move students to a different level.
CEFR B1 Description
B1 level communicators can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. They can respond to situations that may arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken. They can produce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. When describing experiences and events, B1 communicators develop their skills by using increasingly complex structures. They can respond spontaneously to everyday situations.
Language of the Course
This course is taught with a bilingual approach. The course content will be presented in French at a B1 level with bilingual instructions. Participants may engage with coursework and discussions in English or French, depending on their comfort level. Participants are encouraged to practice their French as much as possible in order to improve their proficiency.
While some of the course content will be presented in English, the instructor will model instructional and student engagement strategies in French. Participants are encouraged to engage with coursework in French but should feel free to use English to seek clarification or discuss specific linguistic or pedagogical questions.
Instructional Approach
- Activer–Acquérir–Ancrer: Participants will activate prior knowledge, acquire new information, and anchor their learning through practical application.
- Collaborative Learning: Each synchronous class will involve collaborative learning and sharing of what was tried in the classroom, fostering a community of practice.
- Iterative Learning Process: Participants will engage in asynchronous learning by trying activities or approaches in their classrooms. They will then share their experiences and observations with peers during synchronous sessions. Reflective discussions will be held to deepen understanding and refine teaching practices.
- Additional Resources: Supplementary resources for viewing and reading will be provided to support and extend learning.
Course Description
In this course, participants will use their increasingly independent language skills to explore the challenges of FSL teaching, including classroom space, perceived value, student diversity and engagement, Differentiated Instruction (DI), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). They will engage in meaningful and practical coursework designed to develop language proficiency specific to the FSL teaching profession.
During this course, we will listen, read, and share research; collaborate on solutions; and share experiences to develop excellent pedagogical practices — in B1 level French! By actively participating and reflecting on our own language learning journey, we are equipping ourselves not only with tools we need to learn French, but with insight into our students’ learning as well.
In an inclusive and welcoming environment, participants will be invited to listen, speak, read, and write while forming professional connections. FSL teacher-learners will share strategies, ideas, and resources (songs, videos, images, text) beneficial for teachers (and students) at this level of language development. Teachers will build community around FSL teaching, creating a network that will allow them to continue community building after the course, thereby helping to combat the isolation of the FSL profession.
Participants will engage in both synchronous and asynchronous tasks to help them reflect on their own progress and celebrate their successes. They will build their professional toolkits by learning strategies and next steps and fostering strong connections to other FSL educators.
Please note that the course will focus primarily on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) but the material is also applicable to other frameworks.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this 8-week course, participants will be able to:
- Grow their pedagogical and linguistic knowledge by self-assessing their French skills and teaching practices in order to value their demonstrated and growing proficiency
- Accurately assess their own CEFR language proficiency and the competency areas in need of growth or reinforcement
- Develop the language skills necessary to engage students in their own learning journeys in the French classroom
- Build community around FSL teaching by collaborating in an inclusive space to encourage risk-taking and use of the target language
- Combat isolation in the FSL profession by forming professional connections in class and in the CASLT CoLab community
Course Overview
Lesson | Guiding Questions | Learning Objectives |
1 | How do we get to know our students?
How do we create community in the FSL classroom? How can we use French effectively to build relationships and foster a sense of belonging? |
Explore personal identity and lived experiences in relation to creating community in professional practice.
Co-create our virtual professional learning community using French as the primary means of communication. Incorporate strategies for community-building into teaching practices. Develop and practice vocabulary and expressions related to introductions, personal descriptions, and community-building. |
2 | What are the levels of second/additional language learning according to the CEFR?
How do we assess our students’ levels of language acquisition? What professional needs must we meet to ensure student success? How do we help students reinforce learning and develop autonomy in their language use? How can we apply the CEFR framework to our own language learning journey? |
Reflect on personal experiences and determine where we are on our own journey through the language learning continuum.
Define professional needs and expectations of community participation for this course and beyond. Incorporate strategies for assessing and supporting student language development into teaching practices. Develop and practice vocabulary and expressions related to the CEFR and learner autonomy. |
3 | How do we set our students up for success in the FSL classroom?
How can we use the Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) to support oral language learning and engage students? How can we apply NLA principles to our own language learning to enhance our oral proficiency? |
Explore the Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) and its effectiveness in supporting oral language learning and student engagement.
Incorporate NLA strategies into teaching practices. Apply NLA strategies to personal language learning to improve oral proficiency. |
4 | How do we ensure our evaluation practices are equitable in our FSL classroom?
How do we accurately assess what our students can do? |
Explore concepts of evaluation for learning and observation of learning.
Share ideas on assessment and observation techniques to better understand our students. Incorporate the use of CEFR language descriptors in the classroom to meet student needs. Apply CEFR B1 descriptors to self-assess personal language proficiency and set improvement goals. |
5 | How can we apply the Action-Oriented Approach (AOA) in our FSL classrooms?
How can we create meaningful and authentic tasks to enhance student engagement? |
Identify strategies to increase student engagement.
Define components and goals of action-oriented tasks. Explore action-oriented tasks at the B1 level. Co-create a B1 level task to be developed and worked on during the course. Develop and practice vocabulary and expressions related to the AOA. |
6 | How can we support our learners as they develop skills to accomplish action-oriented tasks? | Use CEFR descriptors and “I can” statements to develop subtasks and student success criteria.
Develop and practice vocabulary and expressions related to planning and developing an action-oriented task. |
7 | How can we apply Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in our FSL classrooms?
How do we use differentiated strategies to get students talking about visual texts? How do we use differentiated strategies to get students talking about written texts in FSL? |
Use B1 level listening and speaking skills to develop a collective understanding of DI and UDL.
Explore differentiation strategies to encourage student discussion using images and visual stories. Collaborate to build a bank of visual resources for use in our own contexts. Incorporate differentiated strategies for discussing written texts into teaching practices. Incorporate DI and UDL strategies into teaching practices to support students with diverse learning needs. Develop and practice vocabulary and expressions related to DI and UDL. |
8 | How do we use differentiated strategies to get students talking about oral texts in FSL?
How can we effectively use videos and audio texts to encourage student discussion? |
Explore differentiation strategies to encourage student discussion using video and audio content.
Explore and engage in B1 level listening activities. Develop and practice strategies for improving oral production and comprehension through discussions about audio and video content. Build a bank of oral resources (videos, podcasts, audio clips) for use in FSL instruction. Incorporate strategies for discussing oral texts into teaching practices. Discuss and share strategies for ongoing professional growth and continued application of our learnings in our teaching practices. |
Time & Date
Location
Zoom
Instructor
![Presenter photo](https://www.caslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/event-CETIN-Antonia.jpg)
Educational Consultant
Antonia Cetin
Antonia Cetin brings over three decades of dedicated teaching and coaching expertise in French as a Second Language (FSL) and Immersion programs. As an internationally certified DELF-DALF (A1–C2) and Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) instructor, she is renowned for her transformative workshops and training sessions held nationwide. These sessions are tailored to empower consultants, coaches, and educators with the knowledge and confidence to support French language learners effectively. Antonia’s approach is rooted in research-based teaching practices, creating inclusive environments where the joy of learning French flourishes. Her commitment extends to academia, where she teaches courses on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and NLA practices at the University of Ottawa and Western University. As the author and editor of resources on decodehabile.com, Antonia develops instructional modules and engaging stories aimed at helping learners decode and read in French. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to FSL education in Ontario, Antonia was awarded the prestigious Canadian Parents for French McGillivray Award in 2022.
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