Robert Roy Award: Dr. Joanne Robertson
Dr. Joanne Robertson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of the Fraser Valley. She teaches and engages in service and scholarship in language, literacy, and educational leadership. Joanne began her career in the North Vancouver School District as a French Immersion teacher before moving into leadership positions. She has been the district French coordinator, a school and district administrator, and a director of instruction for languages education. In these roles, Joanne provided advocacy, direction, and support for enhancing FSL and modern languages programs, as well as for English language learners (ELLs). Joanne’s district leadership helped to foster innovative resources and professional learning opportunities for language teachers; new programs, courses, and sociocultural experiences for French Immersion students; and passionate new leaders in additional language (L+) education.
Joanne also worked as an adjunct professor in French teacher education programs at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Here she taught language and literacy methods courses, mentored teacher candidates through their teaching practicum, and collaborated on professional learning experiences for pre- and in-service FSL teachers. As a director on the CASLT Board from 2019–2023, Joanne provided advocacy for L+ teaching and scholarship via academic research projects, conferences, and seminars, as well as online professional learning opportunities. Joanne was particularly committed to advancing the Board’s twin goals of decolonizing L+ teaching practices and revitalizing Indigenous languages across Canada.
In her current role at University of the Fraser Valley, Joanne has continued to passionately advocate for quality language education, designing and teaching a unique FSL methods course introduced into the B.Ed. program in 2021. She also collaborates regularly with local school districts and ministry officials on the challenges of French teacher recruitment and retention. Joanne’s strong commitment to excellence in L+ education and her dedication to linguistically responsive teaching across the curriculum have shaped her as an educator and continue to guide her work.
Honorary Lifetime Member Award: Dr. Enrica Piccardo
Dr. Enrica Piccardo is a Full Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education at OISE–University of Toronto and the Head of the Centre for Educational Research in Languages and Literacies (CERLL). She has extensive international experience in second/foreign language education research, teacher development, and teaching of multiple languages. A collaborator with the Council of Europe (CoE) since 2008 and co-author of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Companion Volume (2020), she has coordinated various international research projects both in Canada and in Europe. She is herself plurilingual (with publications and presentations in English, French, Italian, and German, and ongoing learning of Spanish). She has been coordinating various international projects, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and by the Council of Europe. Her research includes language teaching approaches and curricula, multi/plurilingualism, creativity and complexity in language education, and assessment. She has presented in many countries and published extensively in different languages. She has been invited as keynote speaker in prestigious conferences both in Canada and abroad. Among her publications are the following books:
- The Action-Oriented Approach: For a Dynamic Vision of Language Education (2019)co-authored with B. North
- The Routledge Handbook of Plurilingual Language Education (2021) co-edited with A. Germain-Rutherford and G. Lawrence
- Activating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Language Classroom (2022), co-edited with G. Lawrence, A. Germain-Rutherford, and A. Galante
- La classe plurilingue. Insegnare con un approccio orientate all’azione (2023), co-edited with G. Langé
H. H. Stern Award: Erin Coulson
Erin Coulson taught elementary-level French immersion and Core French for almost 15 years. She also worked as a modern learning resource teacher for several years. Most recently, she accepted the position of Education Coordinator at the Peel District School Board (PDSB). As Coordinator, Erin has led initiatives such as the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) mentoring network to support staff retention and the French Immersion Administrators’ Network. She also hosted the first French as a second language (FSL) World Robot Olympiad (WRO) challenge at the PDSB, with 320 French immersion students participating in the challenge. This initiative promotes fluency and commitment in FSL and encourages retention beyond Grade 9 by linking learning French to concrete opportunities in STEAM.
Erin is currently President of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA), where she has contributed to projects such as “Dare to Unmute,” “Weaving the Strands,” “How to be an anti-racist FSL Educator,” and the “Projet à Québec.”
