Authentic inquiry

In looking into different perspectives of the direction of innovative French Immersion practices in classrooms, I am seeing how there are many different viewpoints from teachers of different backgrounds and have different teaching philosophies. There are lots of influences on teachers that shape their perspective, including whether or not they are native French speakers or if they learned French through schooling. The process of learning a particular language isn't distinct for most people, especially if it's their native language. To me, having learned French through school makes it easier for me to understand and empathize with my students in what the process of learning language is like and what is helpful in supporting them. I've realized that proficiency in a language doesn't necessarily equate to proficiency in teaching that language. 
In an online article I read, "Authentic Communication in French Immersion Kindergarten Through Math Games" the authors outline the process of navigating the early years of second language learning in an authentic and meaningful way. To me previously, it seemed like we sacrifice some of the skill building in early year immersion programs in order to develop language. The article outlines different ways in which we can maintain development of deep understanding and critical thinking while in the process of developing language. 
They offer different principles in their method which they outline when they state, "We simultaneously explored two goals: that decreasing the cognitive load on students in their second language would allow for increased understandings in math, and that learning a second language in a cross-curricular manner would lead to more authentic understanding and use of the language, and thus to more proficient speakers". 
This resonated with me since I have seen students experience the cognitive overload in French, especially at the beginning of the year when they are adjusting to the language. I also know that a main principle in Immersion programs is that learning the second language is most efficient when it's cross-curricular and more authentic to our students as they make meaningful connections between language and their direct experiences. I think the most interesting part of their method is that the kids were motivated to use the language without teacher pressure since they were equipped with the language and were having an authentic, relevant, hands-on experience. 
I think these teachers' innovative practice is inspiring. They have assessed and evaluated an existing system, took what they know about early childhood learning and have adjusted and improved the system to better fit today's students and more modern educational philosophies.
They outline their strategy when the article states, "Our initial professional learning goal was to explore best practices around second language acquisition at the SK/Grade 1 level, more specifically, by using authentic experiences with math games. We wanted to research the best means for students to reach those deeper levels of understanding and critical thinking, all the while developing the language skills of an immersion program. As teachers, we wanted to determine how best to take our students to that level – finding a way to ask the probing questions that would facilitate deeper thinking." 

I want to be able to better incorporate these principles in my teaching in French Immersion, but even more I want to play a role in innovative teaching practices that support my teaching philosophy. There is a way to evolve the system of second language learning that steers away from the tradition model that is very teacher-led and sacrifices some aspects of creative expression and the development of critical thinking. 

Rethinking second language instruction

In reading an article called "Rethinking monolingual instructional strategies in multilingual classrooms" (Cummins, 2007), I have started to reflect on the structure of the French Immersion classroom and the principles that it follows. Typically, the French Immersion classroom is structured to focus on the target language exclusively (being French in this case) with little reference to our students first language. The article discusses how this model isn't necessarily always the optimal way to learn language and is actually inhibiting our students from being able to develop other necessary skills, like making connections between languages and using previous knowledge to make connections. This is reflected in the article when it states, "Prior knowledge, skills, beliefs and concepts significantly influence what learners notice about their environment and how they organize and interpret their observations. Prior knowledge refers not just to information or skills previously acquired in a transmission-oriented instructional sequence but to the totality of the experiences that have shaped the learner’s identity and cognitive functioning." (Cummins, 2007. p 232). 
This made me think about the importance of having students able to make connections to their personal previous experiences and prior knowledge in learning in any aspect, including learning a language. As French Immersion teachers, we often do feel pressure to give students as much exposure to the target language as possible, and in doing so, we discourage any use of other language. Although I see the value of language, I also value the importance of acknowledging students identity, acquired skills and past experiences. Language learning is more than just becoming proficient in communicating in a language. It also provides students with skills in making connections, understanding a language system and understanding culture. The article also supports this idea when it states, "In concrete terms, what this principle means is that in, for example, a French immersion program in Canada, instruction that develops French reading and writing skills is not just developing French skills, it is also developing a deeper conceptual and linguistic proficiency that is strongly related to the development of literacy in the majority language (English)" (Cummins, 2007. p 232).
This quote also supports the concept of language learning skills transfer from the target learning language to the student's first language, meaning that students are making connections between the two and that it isn't required to have them strictly taught separately. There seems to be benefit from encouraging students to make connections rather than discouraging the use of other languages other than the target language, especially for early learners like the Kindergarteners that I teach with no previous exposure to the target language. 
This concept is nicely summarized in the quote: "L1 is not the enemy in promoting high levels of L2 proficiency; rather, when students’ L1 is invoked as a cognitive and linguistic resource through bilingual instructional strategies, it can function as a stepping stone to scaffold more accomplished performance in the L2." (Cummins, 2007. p 233). Here, the students' first language is referred to as L1 and the target language is referred to as L2. I'm interested in this idea of allowing students to use their first language to scaffold language proficiency in the target language and finding ways to use it as a tool rather than a distraction or setback. 

Challenges in teaching a second language

In reading an insightful article written by two French Immersion teachers on exactly the topic of my inquiry question, Using an Inquiry-Based Approach in Early Childhood French Immersion (Fortier & Hamon, 2014), they discuss a poem that really resonated with me that reflects the struggles with teaching a second language limiting the ways in which students can express themselves. Below, I've posted the poem that was referenced. 

This made me think about the sacrifices that are made in an early childhood French Immersion classroom in limiting children in the ways they can express themselves by focusing on learning and expressing themselves in French in order to encourage proficiency in the language. The article presents a common problem in French Immersion classrooms when it states, "One challenge in an early childhood setting is young students are not yet proficient in their first language communication skills while being introduced to a second language" (Fortier & Hamon, 2014, p. 8). This creates a challenge in engaging in inquiry-based projects when our students don't yet have the language to express their questions and ideas. It makes it so that inquiry-based projects are sacrificing the advancement of students towards language proficiency when they have to engage in English rather than French. 

To me, there has to be a middle ground where we can let the language development progress as we still engage in inquiry. Putting pressure on the children to develop their language has not shown to be effective. They always do end up developing language proficiency by the end of the year, where they will then be able to engage in inquiry in French in the coming years. I don't want to take away the magic of Kindergarten students sense of wonder by limiting the ways in which they can express themselves. 

No Way. The Hundred is There.
The child
is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more) but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.They tell the child:to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and Christmas.They tell the child:to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.They tell the child:that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child that the hundred is not there.The child says:No way. The hundred is there.
Malaguzzi (as cited in Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 2012, p. 3)


Fortier, P. & Hamon, M. (2014). Using an Inquiry-Based Approach

in Early Childhood French Immersion, Teaching and Learning Research Exchange, McDowell Foundation.