Description
Book SynopsisUntil now, the picture painted of French second language learning in Canada has tended to focus on successful French immersion. This volume offers a broader representation, in response to the demographic changes that have made the French language classroom a more complex place. Focusing on inclusion and language maintenance, the chapters discuss how a multilingual population can add the two official languages to their repertoire whilst maintaining their languages of origin/heritage; how the revitalization of Indigenous languages can best be supported in the language classroom, and how students with disabilities can be helped to successfully learn languages.
Trade ReviewTeaching these languages poses its own set of problems: a lack of qualified teachers, few appropriate materials, and little knowledge of how best to approach these issues. This volume is an excellent starting point for research in these four areas. Each chapter has a copious bibliography and neatly describes the issues at hand. The writing is clear; it avoids overwhelming the reader with statistics and jargon but remains scholarly. Anyone interested in different language issues in Canada would be well advised to start here.
-- Helene Ossipov, Arizona State University, USA * French Review, Vol. 88.3 (March 2015) *
This volume provides a review of the complex and vibrant historical and contemporary situations in Canadian second language education. Students and researchers internationally will find Canada's experiences in this regard fascinating. The editors have ably brought together the work of scholars in diverse second language education fields: official language(s) education for newcomers; heritage language maintenance programs; second language education for persons with disabilities; and revitalization and maintenance programs for Aboriginal languages. This very wide scope is matched by chapters that consider in depth and detail language education provisions for these diverse groups.
* Kelleen Toohey, Simon Fraser University, Canada *
This timely volume insightfully analyzes both the accomplishments and omissions in Canadian language policies over the past 40 years. Katy Arnett and Callie Mady have expanded the lens from the celebrated success of French immersion programs oriented to developing French skills among English-speaking students to include the range of multilingual realities currently found in Canadian schools. They focus on language learning opportunities (or lack thereof) afforded to social groups that have frequently been marginalized in Canadian society, specifically students from immigrant backgrounds, special needs students, and those from Aboriginal communities. The volume brilliantly sets the stage for a national discussion aimed at injecting coherence into Canadian language policies.
* Jim Cummins, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Broadening the Lens of Second Language Education in Canada: Minority Populations in Canadian Second Language Education: Katy Arnett and Callie Mady
Section 1: French as an Additional Language: Immigrants’ Learning of French in English-dominant Canada
1. Adding Languages, Adding Benefits: Immigrant Students’ Attitudes Towards and Performance in FSOL Programs in Canada: Callie Mady
2. Learning French in British Columbia: English as Additional Language Learner and Parent Perspectives: Wendy Carr
3. French is Hard: An English Language Learner’s Experience in Core French: Jordana Garbati Section 2: Maintenance of their Heritage Languages and Cultures
4. Fostering Heritage Languages and Diasporic Identities: The Role of Grassroots Initiatives in Alberta and British Colmbia: Martin Guardado and Ava Becker
5. Self, Identity, and Motivation in the Development and Maintenance of German as a Heritage Language: Kimberley Noels
6. Learning Chinese as a Heritage Language: Patsy Duff and Duanduan Li Section 3: Individuals with Disabilities and Second Language Study
7. The Genesis and Perpetuation of Exemptions and Transfers from French Second Language Programs for Students with Diverse Learning Needs: A Preliminary Examination and Their Link to Inclusion: Katy Arnett
8. Reading Without Borders: At Risk Students Transitioning from L1 to L2 in French Immersion: Renée Bourgoin and Joseph Dicks
9. The Writing Processes of a Grade 7 French Immersion Student with Asperger Syndrome: Josée Le Bouthillier Section 4: The Revival, Maintenance, and Growth of Aboriginal Languages in Canada
10. A Fair Country? Consideration of Canada’s Debt to Indigenous Language Renewal: Donna-Lee Smith, Josephine Peck, and Donald Taylor
11. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit K-12 Language Programming: What Works?: Carmen Gillies and Marie Battiste
12. How have Aboriginal North Americans Responded to Writing Systems in Their Own Languages: Barbara Burnaby
Conclusion: Additional Conceptions of Second Language Education in Canada: Callie Mady and Katy Arnett
Index
