Starting with the A, B, Cs: High School FSL Teachers’ Experiences of Integrating Allophone Students in the Open-Level French Course

In 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Education added a new Open-level French course at the high school level in order to accommodate the needs of Allophone students who had little or no exposure to French prior to their secondary education. This study explored FSL teachers’ experiences in integrating Allophone students into the French as a Second Language program through the Open-level French course. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted where experienced FSL teachers shared their perceptions about the course as well as the pedagogical approaches they believed to be effective for integrating Allophone students in French language learning. The results of this study show that FSL educators believe in the importance of making the language learning process dynamic through the integration of authentic cultural elements as well as the implementation of action-oriented activities. Moreover, having confidence in students’ ability to succeed and reflecting this belief through classroom practices is also key in engaging Allophone students in French language learning. Since it is highly possible that the Open-level French course is the first interaction that many Allophone students have in the FSL program, their experiences in this course will likely determine their future interactions with the French language. Through the interactions with various aspects of the Francophone culture and community, students should be given opportunities to discover that language learning is a dynamic process as well the practicality of being able to communicate in French through both a local and international lens