Educators across the district have been seeking out ways to make learning meaningful, intentional and sustainable. At times this has seemed like an overwhelming undertaking. However, one silver lining has been the necessity and opportunity to collaborate more regularly with colleagues across the district.
The French Immersion K-6 teachers have definitely taken full advantage of the opportunity to connect with their grade level colleagues across the district to share practices and brainstorm purposeful learning opportunities for their students. This is all inclusive of the continued promotion of French language and culture in what has become the new learning landscape.
During a typical school year, building in regular collaborations can be a challenge, however, since remote learning was introduced, the French Immersion K-6 teachers were able to establish and participate in bi-weekly grade level zooms. During these collaborations, they have co-constructed learning opportunities for their students, built cross-district relationships and supported each other in ways that are authentic, timely and responsive! Teaching in French immersion comes with it’s unique challenges and the opportunity to connect with colleagues by creating a supportive network has definitely contributed to making learning manageable and more importantly enjoyable.
Watch a celebration of the networking and collaboration happening amongst the educators from K-6 in French Immersion!
These experiences are best captured in the voices of FI teachers:
“Collaborating allows you to hear different voices, not get caught up in your own teaching style, but incorporate the best of many teaching minds and styles. French Immersion resources are probably more limited than English resources, so collaboration can help find the best resources and come up with good, meaningful learning ideas.”
Liam Ezzard, CAS
“Collaborating across the district with my FI colleagues has really created a sense of community and helped us focus on our common goals for the program. We've shared ideas and materials, and created relationships that have made us all more effective in our roles at our respective schools. It has made learning manageable by helping us feel connected, knowing that we have colleagues to rely on, even if we don't see each other in person on a regular basis.”
Susan Elliott, PGE
“I have greatly appreciated the Kindergarten sharing platform as district colleagues have shared their technology savviness which has opened new doors for me to communicate with parents.”
Melissa Pastinelli, DWE
“It has been nice to see what other teachers are doing, and to know that we face similar obstacles and challenges.”
Christine Roy-Mathieu (GMS)
“It has been nice to hear different, tried and tested ideas for incorporating French into our virtual classrooms and about resources and tools I haven't used before. Aside from that, it is nice to talk with other adults in French to stay fluent (or fluentish in my case!)”
Pam Robertson, BGE
“It has been very useful and eye-opening learning from other colleagues of valuable resources that we can share with our students. Meeting through Zoom has been very beneficial in that we can also see each other and talk to one another about our experiences and share our questions/concerns that shape our teaching pedagogy. I think that this is a valuable way of learning and should be continued in the district even when we have returned to our classrooms.”
Bernadette Rego, DWE