Exploring Reflexivity and Multilingualism in Three French Language Teacher Education Programs

Authors

  • Julie Byrd Clark The University of Western Ontario
  • Callie Mady Nipissing University
  • Adrienne Vanthuyne The University of Western Ontario

Keywords:

code-switching, multilingualism, reflexivity, French language pedagogy, language teacher education, new technologies

Abstract

Abstract

What does it mean to be and become a bi/multilingual and multicultural language teacher in today’s plurilingual times? This paper reports on the perspectives of multilingual student teachers as they pertain to the development of multilingual repertoires for the teacher candidates themselves and for these teacher candidates’ future French language learners. Globally, initiatives are often directed at language teachers to contribute to producing effective human capital (Byram, 2010); however, awareness in the field of French language pedagogy (FLP) appears relatively unexplored beyond the local contexts. This paper illuminates the significance of developing reflexivity (Aull Davies, 2010; Byrd Clark & Dervin, 2014) for future language teachers and researchers through a multimodal, sociolinguistic approach incorporating new technologies by drawing upon data gathered through online, interactive discussion groups and semistructured interviews. The findings illustrate how certain representations of languages, identities, learning, and teaching are constructed and negotiated in these new spaces, and simultaneously challenge traditional (monolithic) ways of teaching and researching in FLP. This work has implications for all those involved in language and multicultural education as it invites researchers to reflect upon their own engagements as well as how to create conditions for the inclusion of multilingual repertoires in Canadian classrooms and beyond.

Résumé

Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire d’être et de devenir un enseignant bi/plurilingue et pluriethnique dans ce monde marqué par le plurilinguisme ? Le travail présenté dans cet article porte sur les perspectives des enseignants-apprenants plurilingues en ce qui concerne le développement de répertoires linguistiques pour eux-mêmes ainsi que leurs futurs élèves. Cet article souligne aussi l’importance de développer ce que nous appelons la réflexivité (Aull Davies, 2010 ; Byrd Clark et Dervin, 2014) surtout pour les chercheurs, les enseignants et les futurs enseignants de langue. Pour mieux comprendre cela, nous proposons une approche multimodale et sociolinguistique tout en employant les données recueillies par des échanges en ligne, des interactions en groupes de discussion et des entretiens semi-dirigés. Nos données démontrent comment certaines représentations de langue, d’identités, d’apprentissage et d’enseignement sont construites, valorisées, négociées et, surtout, comment elles sont contestées dans ces nouveaux espaces. En fait, les pratiques langagières de ces enseignants-apprenants démontrent la complexité et l’hétérogénéité tout en offrant un éclairage sur la signifiance des approches intégrées et réflexives et, à la fois, tout en révélant la nature problématique des approches traditionnelles (étatiques) en ce qui concerne l’enseignement de la langue ainsi que la recherche en didactique des langues. Donc, des résultats de ce travail dérivent quelques implications importantes pour les chercheurs et tous ceux qui sont impliqués dans la didactique des langues et des cultures. Spécifiquement, ces implications nous permettent de réfléchir sur nos propres investissements de langue, de culture, d’identité et d’idéologies, et nous invitent à créer des conditions inclusives pour le développement des répertoires plurilingues dans les salles de classe du Canada et d’ailleurs.

Author Biographies

Julie Byrd Clark, The University of Western Ontario

Julie Byrd Clark is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and French language pedagogy at the Faculty of Education at Western University, Canada. She specializes in critical applied linguistics, language and social processes, and bi/multilingual education. Byrd Clark is the author of Multilingualism, citizenship, and identity: Voices of youth and symbolic investments in an urban, globalized world (London: Continuum, 2009), and has published substantively on the study of multilingualism and identity; language pedagogy; and language policy and planning.

Callie Mady, Nipissing University

Callie Mady is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education of Nipissing University where she teaches in the pre-service education program, specializing in Curriculum Methods and French methodology. Her research interests include additional language learning, inclusive classrooms, French as a second language pedagogy and teacher beliefs. She has published widely on FSL teachers’ beliefs regarding the inclusion of English language learners and students with learning difficulties in core and immersion French programming.

Adrienne Vanthuyne, The University of Western Ontario

Adrienne Vanthuyne is Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at Western University. Adrienne was a former teacher of French Immersion and Core French in Canada as well as a Second language instructor in Australia and Canada.  Her research interests lie in new technologies, digital literacies, and Second language pedagogy.

Published

2014-10-23

How to Cite

Byrd Clark, J., Mady, C., & Vanthuyne, A. (2014). Exploring Reflexivity and Multilingualism in Three French Language Teacher Education Programs. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17(1), 129–155. Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/CJAL/article/view/20098

Issue

Section

Articles