Chapeau à vous : French-minority Language Teachers’ Pandemic Pedagogies

Authors

  • Gail Cormier Université de Saint-Boniface
  • Andrea Burke-Saulnier Université Sainte-Anne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29655

Keywords:

minority language education, pandemic, online learning, literacy in a minority language setting, integration of technology, teacher perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to unpack French-minority language teachers’ perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on their teaching. In fall 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with 40 K-12 teachers of French as a minority language in Manitoba and Nova Scotia. While the pandemic has undoubtedly been challenging for language and literacy teachers, many have also developed adaptations and strategies. This paper focuses on those pedagogical accomplishments and teachers’ self-reported moments of success. Three main themes explored were the integration of technology into language teaching, language teacher collaboration and linguistic community building with students.

Author Biographies

Gail Cormier, Université de Saint-Boniface

Gail Cormier is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education specialized in language, literacy and curriculum at Université de Saint-Boniface in Manitoba. Her areas of research include linguistic landscapes, schoolscapes, language and literacy education, education in minority settings and Francophone and French immersion programming. She is currently conducting research supported by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) on schoolscapes in rural French immersion schools in Manitoba. Her doctoral research on schoolscapes was funded by the Joseph Armand Bombardier Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). She taught French, English and Spanish in Manitoban schools as well as in Costa Rica. 

Andrea Burke-Saulnier, Université Sainte-Anne

Andrea Burke-Saulnier is a professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at Université Sainte-Anne. Growing up in an English-speaking family in Cape Breton, she now identifies as an adopted Acadian. Andrea has lived, studied, and worked in an Acadian community in southwestern Nova Scotia for 25 years. Currently, she explores the context of teaching and learning the French language in la Francophonie of North America, how to better support and supervise students and teachers in minority Francophone settings and the experiences of teachers in minority settings in the times of COVID-19.

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Published

2023-02-15

How to Cite

Cormier, G., & Burke-Saulnier, A. (2023). Chapeau à vous : French-minority Language Teachers’ Pandemic Pedagogies. Language and Literacy, 25(1), 57–77. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29655