CASLT Event 
Description
Course Details
Schedule and Format
8 lessons over 8 weeks that blend theory and practice:
- Asynchronous tâche de préparation for each lesson (approx. 30 mins)
- Synchronous 60-minute class on Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. ET (on Zoom)
- Reflection and professional dialogue with other course participants are integral to the course
- Emphasis will be placed on the multitude of authentic, free, fiction and non-fiction resources of various genres developed by non-profit organizations in Canada and worldwide, as well as picture books and informative texts published by authors that reflect a wide range of diverse lived experiences
First class: January 9, 2025
Last class: February 27, 2025
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 K–12 Core, Intensive/Extended French, or French Immersion programs across Canada
Language of the Course
This course is taught using a bilingual approach. The course content will be presented in English, and participants may engage with coursework and discussions in English or French.
Instructional Approach
- Each synchronous class will be taught using the activer–acquérir–ancrer model
- An inquiry-based model with guiding questions will be used
- A variety of formats to support learning, as appropriate to the task, is encouraged
Course Description
In this course, participants will explore strategies and considerations for effective resource selection and creation in French as a Second Language (FSL) programs. The content is adaptable to K–12 teachers of Core/Basic French, Intensive/Extended French, and/or French Immersion programs across Canada. Using principles of equity and inclusion as a foundation for critical analysis and resource design, we will use an inquiry-based model to explore three overall guiding questions:
- What role does effective, equitable resource selection/creation play in students’ academic achievement and well-being in FSL programs?
- What is the relationship between resource selection/creation and language proficiency frameworks and approaches (e.g., the CEFR and the Action-Oriented Approach)?
- How does effective, equitable resource selection/creation support an inclusive, differentiated approach to language learning that fosters collaboration, curiosity, joy, and independence?
Participants will engage in both synchronous and asynchronous tasks that promote interaction and reflection.
Please note that the course will focus primarily on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the Action-Oriented Approach (AOA), but the principles are also applicable to other frameworks and approaches.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this 8-lesson course, participants will be able to:
- Understand some of the principles, frameworks, and tools that guide resource selection and creation in FSL programs
- Develop familiarity with many readily available, high-quality, engaging, relevant print and digital resources that support student learning, engagement, and well-being in FSL programs
- Critically analyze and create resources that foster equity, inclusion, collaboration, curiosity, joy, and independence in FSL classrooms
Course Overview
| Lesson | Guiding Questions | Learning Objectives |
| 1 | How do our personal and diverse identities, lived experiences, interests, and viewpoints influence our practices related to resource selection in FSL programs?
How might the principles of Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) guide our work in this area? How do the guiding principles of decolonization, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression ground our work in resource selection and creation? |
Co-create our virtual professional learning community.
Explore the intersectionality and impact of personal identity and lived experiences with professional practice related to resource selection. Identify some practices to stop, start, and continue based on their impact related to decolonization, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression. Reflect on personal experiences with resources in FSL programs. Develop a collective understanding of principles of decolonization, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression as they relate to resource selection and creation. |
| 2 | How do the guiding principles of decolonization, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression ground our work in resource selection and creation?
What is Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP)? |
Deepen our ability to assess bias and problematic representations.
Develop a collective understanding of CRRP and its critical role in resource selection and creation. |
| 3 | How does CRRP guide us to keep learner identities and lived experiences at the centre of our work related to resource selection and creation, to ensure relevance and engagement?
What are the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and the Action-Oriented Approach (AOA) to language learning? |
Deepen our ability to assess the relevance of resources as related to diverse learner identities and lived experiences.
Develop a collective understanding of the CEFR and its critical role in resource selection and creation. Develop a collective understanding of the AOA and its critical role in resource selection and creation. |
| 4 | How do the CEFR and the AOA guide us to keep learner identities and lived experiences at the centre of our work related to resource selection and creation, to ensure relevance and engagement?
What tools and strategies can be used to support equitable, intentional, purposeful resource selection and creation in FSL programs? |
Deepen our ability to assess the relevance of resources as related to how they support language learning goals and provincial/territorial curriculum.
Explore resource selection in action (exploration of sample school board/district tools to support resource selection and creation. |
| 5 | What tools and strategies can be used to support equitable, intentional, purposeful resource selection and creation in FSL programs?
How can authentic, relevant, and engaging print and digital resources enhance student achievement and well-being in FSL programs? |
Create a personal Resource Selection Tool (in line with the school board tool, if applicable).
Explore some high-quality, widely available print resources in French. Explore some high-quality, widely available audio and audiovisual resources in French. Critically analyze how some print, audio, and audiovisual resources reflect principles of CRRP and provide AOA language learning opportunities. |
| 6 | How can authentic, relevant, and engaging print and digital resources enhance student achievement and well-being in FSL programs?
What is the role of interactive tech tools in 21st century FSL classrooms? What is the Substitution-Augmentation-Modification-Redefinition (SAMR) model? |
Explore some high-quality, widely available print resources in French.
Explore some high-quality, widely available audio and audiovisual resources in French.
Critically analyze how some print, audio and audiovisual resources reflect principles of CRRP and provide AOA language learning opportunities. Develop an understanding of the SAMR model of technology integration. Explore some examples of technology tools and how they can enhance learning in FSL programs to foster inclusion, creativity, engagement, and language acquisition. |
| 7 | How do our personal and diverse identities, lived experiences, interests, and viewpoints influence our practices related to resource selection and creation in FSL programs?
How might our knowledge of learning styles and the principles of CRRP guide our work in this area? When creating resources, how might the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles foster a culture of inclusion and enhance learning for all students? |
Explore the intersectionality and impact of personal identity and lived experiences with professional practice related to resource creation (assessing our own biases/preferences and impact on the tools we choose to learn, use, and create).
Identify some practices to stop, start, and continue based on the purpose of the resource and its relation to the CEFR, local curriculum, and needs of additional language learners (versus Francophone students). Reflect on personal experiences with resources in FSL programs. Deepen our understanding of UDL. Explore how the principles of UDL support the designing of effective resources that allow for multiple means of expression, engagement, and representation. Explore considerations that impact the accessibility of resources. |
| 8 | How might the use of differentiation structures enhance the creation and effectiveness of resources in FSL programs to support and engage all learners?
How have my thinking and practices related to resource selection evolved during this course? What are my next moves? |
Explore differentiation structures that create possibilities for effectively co-creating learning experiences and resources with learners.
Identify and affirm key learning from the course. Address lingering questions. Identify next steps for transforming practice and professional learning and sharing. |
Time & Date
Jan9 - Feb27, 2025
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EST
Location
Zoom
Instructor
K–12 French Coach
Julie Liu
Julie Liu has been an educator with the Toronto District School Board for 20 years. She has taught Core French, Extended French, and French Immersion in the primary, junior, and intermediate divisions. As a K–12 French Coach, she has worked to support educators to create inclusive and culturally responsive and relevant French programs where all students can succeed and value learning an additional language. She puts building relationships and student voice at the heart of learning in order to support all students in equitable and engaging learning spaces. Julie also works as a Course Instructor for FSL Additional Qualification courses with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. She is a certified DELF correctrice.
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